Which Brings Me to You
by DazzlinSparkle05
Summary: Bella is a lonely, snarky girl. Edward is a guy on a constant search for something more. Will these two be what the other is looking for? This is the continuation of my o/s Santa's Kiss. A/U, A/H
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight, you know that. I just like the characters! ENJOY!**

**A/N: This is a continuation to my Santa's Kiss one shot, so you might want to read that in order to understand a few things. Let me know what you think! Should I continue? Do you want more? This was beta'd by the awesome Dolphin62598 and mauigirl60.**

**BPOV**

I yawned, moving the eggs around on the skillet. Sometimes I just wanted to say fuck any day that ends in 'y', but whatever, I had to deal with them. I awakened with Lilly's back and bottom pressed against my front. I had snuggled with her until my alarm went off; of course, being her father's daughter, she slept right through it.

"I wish I could sleep like the dead," I mumbled.

"Me too," Emmett said cheerfully, closing the back door to my townhouse. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"Scrambled eggs," I sighed, reaching over to the carton of eggs and grabbing a few so I could whisk away. "So, I'm going to take a crazy guess and say Rose is at the hospital."

"Ding, ding, ding and we have a winner! If my wife isn't home, you know I need to come to my second wifey to feed me," he said honestly.

"Because, God knows, you would starve or burn down your kitchen."

"Preach," he grinned, waving his hand in the air.

I heard little bare feet pattering down the hall until they hit the kitchen. "Mama, I'm hungry," Lilly grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm working on it, baby," I told her, keeping my eyes on the little cutie.

Her blonde curls were everywhere. I knew it would be a bitch to brush later on, but she was too cute. Lil's chubby red cheeks were still flushed from sleep, making me want to kiss them, and her brown eyes sparkled in the light. Ugh, Jazz and I did make a pretty freaking adorable kid. That's all he was good for, unfortunately.

"Uncle Emmy, up," she whined, raising her arms up.

Emmett lifted her up onto his lap and cuddled her close. "Why so sleepy, kid?"

"Mama and me watched _Up_ before I sleeped," she explained, laying her head on his shoulder.

"It may or may not have been almost eleven when we fell asleep," I shrugged.

She was pretty good at going to bed on time, and it _was_ a Friday. Lilly would be going to her dad's for the rest of the weekend. He would be pissed if he knew what time I'd let her stay up until, but whatever.

Em covered my child's ears. "You didn't hear this from me, but I'm pretty sure Jazz is proposing to Alice," he whispered loudly.

"Well, you know what I told her when she stared dating him…" I trailed off.

"He's an asshole, good luck," he snorted.

"Hey, I warned her," I stuck my hands up in defense.

"Uncle Emmy, hands off, please," Lilly huffed, trying to shrug out of his hold on her head.

"Sorry, baby cakes," he chuckled.

"Mama, do I has to go to Daddy's?"

"Yeah, baby, you know the drill," I said softly, while turning back to my eggs. I shoveled them out of the skillet onto a huge plate.

"But I wants to stay home," she pouted.

Emmett ran his massive beefy fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. She had been like this since Jasper moved in with Alice. I loved Alice and she was great, but she and Jasper just weren't kid people. Jazz was starting his second year in his psychology program at U-Dub. He was on the Dr. Phil path; I mean, the douche analyzed anyone and everyone. He loved Lilly, but the way he communicated with her at times drove me crazy. It was almost as if he thought she was a mini adult. My child looked at him as if he were an idiot.

Alice had livened Jasper up though. She was bubbly and snarky, which I appreciated. There had been a few times when Lilly was with them that Alice had called me, asking for tips and tricks. Alice just wanted Lil to like her. After three months into their courtship, Alice told Rose and I she couldn't have children, and said she was fine with that. Rose being Rose grilled her on what Jazz thought about that. He told her that it was okay with him, he had Lilly and that was all right.

"Em, prepare this," I ordered taking my kid from his arms. "Now, tell Mama what's wrong. Why don't you want to go to Daddy's?"

"He always looks like this," she said, scrunching her face, looking more like me when I mocked Jasper.

"He does," I agreed. "But, he loves you so much and gets excited when you visit with him and Ali."

"Well, why don't they come to my house and stay?" she suggested hopefully.

Em decided to pipe up and help me. "You have two houses, Lil," he reminded her. "Remember, I fixed your room up for you there."

And he did. Emmett literally replicated her room there to look like her room here. The wallpaper, sheets, and furniture were all the same. Jazz spouted off his psychobabble on how we were confusing her, but Alice got him to shut up real fast. Did I mention how much I loved Alice?

"Mama is here, though," she frowned. "I don't want you alone."

I gave her face so many kisses because she was so thoughtful and adorable. "I'm not alone, baby. I have Aunt Rosie and Uncle Emmy next door. If I feel alone, I can go bother them."

"And that's the truth," Em grinned.

I do bother them; I mope around while my baby is away from me. When she was first born, Jazz had to come to us and help out. Last year, we had started her on this visitation schedule. He got her every weekend and we alternated holidays.

"I want you, Mama," she cried.

I rubbed her back as she clung to me. I looked at Em who just shrugged, because he was as clueless as I was.

"Shhh," I soothed.

The front door opened and I knew it was Jasper. His boots clacked on my hardwood floor after I had told him how many times to take them off at the door.

"Hey," he said, before seeing his crying child in my arms. "What's wrong?"

Lilly heard him and buried her teary face in my neck. "We're having a bit of a rough moment," I explained.

Jazz walked over and crouched down beside me. "Lilly, can you tell me why you're crying?" he asked gently, as he tried to brush her hair out of her face.

"I want to stay with, Mama," she sniffled.

"Oh," he said, and I saw the hurt instantly etched onto his face.

"But, me and Em were explaining how much you would miss her if she didn't go," I helped out.

He smiled sadly at me, mouthing 'thanks'. "I would miss her very much," he murmured. "Alice is going to her parents' house this weekend, so it was just going to be Lilly and I…"

Lilly turned her head, looking at her father curiously. "If I don't go, you'll be lonely, Daddy?"

Jazz frowned, and I nodded slightly at him. "I would be _so_ lonely," he told her.

"I sleep in your bed like I do with Mama?" The little sneak was bargaining. I almost worried that this was more of an 'Alice' thing than that 'she was worried about me' thing.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Mama, I'll go to Daddy's so he's not alone, and you get Aunt Rosie and Uncle Emmy."

"That sounds like a deal," I kissed her head, giving her over to Jasper.

"Is she packed?"

"Yeah, I have breakfast ready, if you want some, and then I can get her changed." I motioned to my daughter's Ariel pajamas, her little belly poking out.

"Uh, okay," he nodded, looking a bit frazzled.

Emmett and I served up the food while Jasper helped Lilly into her booster seat at the breakfast nook. "So," Jazz cleared his throat. "I wanted to let you know that I'm going to ask Alice to marry me."

I tried to look surprised, knowing I was failing when Emmett started laughing and nudged me with his elbow.

"You told her?" he scowled.

Em pointed his fork at him. "She's like my baby sister, I tell her everything."

"No secrets," I declared and we fist bumped, earning an eye roll from Jasper.

"Besides, the first wife should always know," Em reasoned.

"She had it annulled so it was like it never happened," he spat.

"I agree, what marriage?"

"And, please, don't think of bringing it up," he warned. "Alice knows, but her parents don't. I asked her father for his permission."

"Well, at least you learned from your mistakes," I said wryly, patting his shoulder.

"Daddy, are you gonna give Ali that shiny ring I sawed?" Lil asked, before taking a bite of her eggs.

"Yeah, darlin', I am," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"What's it for?"

Jasper's blue eyes shot to me; he knew I would be better at explaining. I had 'Lilly speak' down to a science. "You know how in all of the princess movies, they marry their prince?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, Daddy and Ali are going to get married."

"And we get to have a party?"

Jasper nodded at me.

"Sure, why not?"

"I get a fancy dress?"

I saw the wheels turning and this was no longer Alice and Jasper's wedding, but the _Princess Lilly Show_ to my daughter. Lillian Rose Swan usually got her way with Jasper because I think he had some guilt hiding away somewhere. And, yes, her name was Swan. That dillweed had gone on a skiing trip to Tahoe the week before I was due. Two days later I went into labor and he missed it. I was pissed that he wasn't there for her birth, and he was pissed I named her Swan. Hey, he was lucky Rose had talked me into putting his name _anywhere_ on the Birth Certificate; always the voice of reason, that one.

"Definitely," he answered.

After we were finished with our food, Emmett offered to get her ready so we could talk. I leaned against the counter, waiting for him to start.

"I wasn't even sure I was going to ask her yet. I asked her father, but I wanted to ask her brother, as well."

"Why didn't you?"

"He's in _Doctors Without Borders._ I know Alice adores him, so I thought maybe I should ask him. He's stationed in Uganda at the moment, and Alice hasn't really talked to him since she moved in with me."

I squinted at him. This was Jasper being vulnerable and I hadn't seen this side of him since we were in seventh grade, when he wanted to ask Charlotte Peters to the winter formal.

"Ask her, he'll be at the wedding," I shrugged.

"That's another thing," he paused.

"Yes?"

"Anytime Alice and I have spoken about our future, she's always said she doesn't want a long, drawn-out engagement."

"Well, when does the brother come home?"

"The end of October, but Alice said Edward doesn't stay in one place for long. I think he might be a thrill seeker."

I rolled my eyes. Thrill seeker - this coming from the guy who would race Jake on his Ducati almost every day of our senior year of high school. Don't even get me started on all the pot he did until he met Alice.

"You do get that you're a twenty-four year old grandpa, right? Alice is two years younger than you; maybe you should wait?"

"I want to marry her now, it feels right."

"Ta-da," Lilly said, skipping into the room in a navy blue sundress.

"Did you pick that out?"

She shook her head, giggling. "Uncle Emmy did."

I scooped her up, kissing all over her face until Jasper said they had to leave. It was Emmett who wrapped me up in a hug when they left. The whole child exchange was rough every weekend.

"She'll be back Monday morning, Bells," he murmured against my head.

"He doesn't care, though," I mumbled against Em's right pec.

Emmett knew what we went through almost five years ago when I found out I was pregnant. He joined our group when we were in tenth grade and he was a senior at Port Angeles High School. Rose was a junior varsity cheerleader at Forks when we played Emmett's school, we learned he was PA's star quarterback. He always told the story that he saw Rosalie standing across the field, being berated by Jessica Stanley for a mistake she made during half-time. I knew that was true because Jazz and I were in the bleachers, and I was about to go give the senior cheer captain a piece of my mind. It was then that Emmett waltzed right over to them and walked to his side of the field, with Rose in hand. The rest was sort of history and they'd been together ever since.

"Bella, you know Jasper loves Lilly just as much as you do. He was great with her when he came in."

"Yeah, and that's a first," I scoffed.

"You know we all change as we get older."

"You, me and Rose are exactly the same."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that you know how our parents are. Jazz wants to be the disciplinarian for Lilly."

I glared at him and he backed away slowly. "Okay, this is me shutting up."

"Good," I nodded. "You want to take a drive to my dad's with me?"

"I'm always down for a visit with the Chief."

I left Emmett with his Saturday morning cartoons, as I went upstairs to get ready. It was almost two hours later that Emmett pulled his Land Rover into my dad's driveway. I noticed that my step-mom's car wasn't there, and Dad's cruiser was in front of the house.

Once I opened the door, I saw Dad in his recliner, holding his head and my stepsister, Leah, silently crying on the couch. I assumed her tears were over her ex-boyfriend, Sam, who'd cheated on her with her cousin, Emily. From what Dad had told me, Leah walked in on them last week and had now moved herself into my childhood home.

"Hey guys," I called, letting our presence be known.

Dad's head whipped up, looking relieved to see me. "Bells, Emmett! I didn't know you kids were coming today."

He got up, pulling me into a fierce hug. "Help me," he whispered into my ear.

"Dad, I'm hungry, make me a sandwich," I whined.

"God, Bella, you're old enough to make your own sandwich," Leah huffed, with a glare.

"Leah, this is Bella's home just as much as it is yours…" Charlie trailed off carefully. "Your mom has been waiting on you like a personal maid."

"My boyfriend cheated on me," she wailed.

My eyes widened, as well as Em's. Dad just ignored her and shuffled us into the kitchen. "What the hell was that?"

"I love Sue, but her daughter has a few screws loose," Dad muttered, grabbing a few beers out of the fridge.

"Uh, Charlie, it's not even noon yet," Emmett laughed.

Dad waved his hand dismissively before kissing my head in a proper greeting. We snatched our beers up, sitting around the breakfast island Sue had just had installed. He married Sue when I was fifteen; Leah was in college, so it was just me and Seth. Seth was ten at the time. I was closer with him than I ever was with Leah. By the time she moved back, I had gone away to school and everything had changed completely with Lilly.

"Where's Sue?"

"Leah thinks… she's pregnant," he whispered almost comically.

"I'm sorry that's such a taboo word for you, Dad," I snorted.

"Bella," he snapped.

"Got it, this is serious," I said, running my hand over my face to show a serious expression.

"It is," he stressed. "When you came to us… what you did was different."

"Well, I had you, who wanted to coddle me," I pointed out.

"No, my child, you got married by Elvis and moved in with Jasper. The only hard thing was the annulment; even after that, you were so set on not moving back home."

"Dad, as you remember, mom had that obnoxious bank account set up for me." And she still deposited way more money than I would ever need.

My parents divorced when I was six. I stayed with my dad while my mom chased her dreams. She ended up becoming this yogi self-help guru, instantly making millions. I'd read her books and, to be completely honest, her advice was shit. I loved her, but she insisted that if her followers make daily affirmations, it would make their lives instantly better.

I was ten when she made her first million and opened a checking and savings account for me. The only times I'd ever begrudgingly touched money from it was to pay for college, and to buy a home for my child and myself. Dad and Sue helped me with my bookstore because I didn't want my mom's guilt money going into my business endeavors.

"That's not it, Bells. You have always been independent."

"Okay?" I said, not sure what he meant by that.

"I mean…" he sighed, running a hand over his face. "While you were pregnant with Lilly, you refused help even after you had her. It was just you and her. I know Jasper would come and help so you could sleep or study, but you still pushed him away. You're very set in your routines. Lilly is a lot like that too."

"What you're saying doesn't sound like a good thing," I raised an eyebrow feeling defensive.

"Bella, stop it," Emmett smiled, squeezing my shoulder. "I think what Charlie is trying to say is that with Leah being in the house, he doesn't know how to handle her. You made things easier for him."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say," Dad puffed out in relief. "Raising you was like a walk in the park, Bella. Leah's thirty years old and doesn't know how to take care of herself. You've been on your own since you were eighteen."

Now, I did feel bad about that, but I leaned on my dad for a lot of things. He went with me to all of Lilly's visitation mediations, and was there for every holiday and birthday of our lives. I was here because Lilly was gone and I knew my dad would make me feel better.

"Is she crying?" Dad asked, looking at Em.

I dropped my head to hide my tears. This morning was rough and Lilly's concern for my loneliness was hitting me hard.

"She had a rough morning," Emmett answered.

Dad got up and awkwardly wrapped his arms around me. "Did Jasper do something?" he asked gruffly.

"No, Lil didn't want to leave this morning."

"Why didn't she?"

"She doesn't want me to be lonely," I sniffled, angrily wiping my tears away. "And, for the record, I'm not crying because I'm a crazy person like Leah, but because my child held my heart in a vice for a good five minutes, and the guilt is haunting me."

Charlie didn't comment, but left a kiss on top of my head before going back to his beer. Sue came home in a frazzled state not too long after that. She tended to Leah who, according to the test results, was indeed pregnant. When her high-pitched shrieks rung throughout the house, Emmett and I hightailed it the hell out of there. Dad hurried out to his cruiser, mumbling something about setting Sam straight.

"Do you think the Chief will shoot his ass?" Em asked eagerly.

"No, don't be ridiculous, he's the Chief of Police," I scoffed, before adding, "he'll have Billy do it for sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**BPOV**

The next weekend that Lilly was away, I poured myself another glass of wine and watched Rose refuse any with a shake of her head.

"Are you on-call?"

"No."

"Shit, are you pregnant?" I squinted suspiciously.

"No, but we are trying and I don't want to drink too much before we actually get pregnant," she explained.

I looked her over. She was shoulder-to-ankle in black; I could see a sliver of navy from her tee shirt. Her chunky black wrap cardigan was held together by a belt and she was poured into her black skinny jeans. In typical Rose style, her blonde hair was in a chignon and her stacked bracelets hung on her wrist, not to mention the diamond of all diamonds Emmett had given her rested on her hand.

"You're going to be the Victoria Beckham of PA," I stated.

"What?" she laughed.

"You're going to be one of those moms that are fabulous all the time and your child won't have a hair out of place… wait, it will be half-Emmett, so I'll retract that last statement."

"Please, you're a pretty fab mom yourself," Rosalie encouraged.

I peered down at myself. My skinny jeans matched hers and my navy V-neck sweater was tight in all the right places. I was flat as a board in the boob department, but after I had Lilly, I was pushing almost a C-cup. I shrugged at her compliment.

"Bella, stop it. Every time I go to Lil's Pre-K with you to pick her up, the moms glare at you."

"That might be because they think I'm a bitch," I pointed out, pointing the rim of my glass at her.

"No, you're hot and still have a young body," she insisted, tugging at one of my brown curls.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

Rose slapped my ass before sticking her tongue out.

"That fucking hurt!"

"Good," she grinned smugly. "So, has Mike come sniffing around lately?"

"He comes into the shop every day and it's creepy. Angela said he came in with Stanley a couple of times, which was weird."

"I was going to tell you to give him a chance, but forget it," she wrinkled her nose.

Rose hated Jessica. She was older than us and tried to rule Rose's every move since they were on the cheer squad together. After college, Rosalie gained this ballsiness about her, but when she started her nursing program at Mt. Olympic Hospital, none other than the devil herself was training her.

"You know, last I heard she was getting hot and heavy with Lauren Mallory," Rose snipped.

"Now that's just greedy," I snorted. "Maybe she brings Mike in and…"

"Ugh, gross. Word around Forks is that her mother is pressuring her to get married and have grandchildren."

"So she's using Mike?" I'm confused.

"I don't know, but Emmett said Mallory and her go at it down at his dad's pub. They make out and get into petting."

"They've always been slores so maybe it's just a show," I supplied, taking a sip of my wine. "Guys like the lesbian fantasy."

"Probably," she said, sitting up on my counter. "Enough about them and Mike. We need to get you a man, or at least laid."

"Uh, last time I got laid, I pushed a small infant out of me nine months later."

"So, you're going to let that detour you from ever having sex again?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I frowned; the idea scared me a lot, actually. I knew that if I had sex again, there will be a condom. I'm already on birth control so my chances of having another baby were slim, but I was still paranoid.

"Have you ever had sex with anyone other than Emmett?"

They had taken a break during Rose's last semester of college; the distance was getting to them. Emmett was already living next door to me, and Rose had taken a break from me as well. The two of us moped around until she moved back from California. She had also begged us both for forgiveness, which we gave.

"There were a few, but they couldn't compare to Emmett."

"Is that a bullshit answer?" I accused, as I squinted my eyes at her.

"No, it's completely honest. I was trying to get over Em, and the way I did it was ridiculous and hurtful."

"So you told him?"

"I did when we got back together, and he told me about Heidi." She gave me a look because she knew I had known about that.

"I don't want something meaningless, you know? If I meet someone, I want that gut feeling, knowing I'm supposed to be with them," I sighed, blaming the wine for making me so sentimental.

"Mama!" Lilly called, from down the hall.

Lilly's feet pattered on the hardwood floor, and Rose giggled at her niece as she barreled toward my legs.

"Baby, I missed you so much!" I exclaimed, pulling her up into my arms.

"Hey," Alice smiled, setting Lilly's bags on top of the barstool.

I noticed the small diamond resting on her ring finger. She and Jasper shared a small two-bedroom apartment in Seattle. Jasper was paying his own tuition, so he didn't have much. Alice's family had money, but Jazz refused her offer to help out. He wanted to provide for them, and he also gave me child support, which was ridiculous to me. Our initial agreement was that I didn't want his money - we didn't need it, but he fought it, saying he was able to support his child. Dad told me to allow him to contribute, so I did.

"I see Jasper is going to make an honest woman of you," Rose teased, walking over to get a peek at her ring.

"Daddy told me to give Ali the ring and she cried," Lilly explained.

"Did he?" I asked, surprised that he had Lilly involved in his proposal.

"He said you knew," Alice frowned.

I nodded, but still felt off that he didn't mention the part about involving our child in it. "No, it's okay."

"Mama, can I have din din now?" Lil asked goofily, while she held my face in her hands.

"Chicken nuggs sound good?"

"Uh huh," she grinned widely.

"How about we get you unpacked, Lil, and then we can watch a movie," Rose suggested, taking my daughter away from the awkward tension.

"Aunt Rosie, I gots to show you the books Daddy gave me, they're so silly."

"Knowing Daddy, I bet they are," she said dryly, as they left the kitchen with Lilly's suitcase in-hand.

Alice sat down on my stool with a sigh. She looked disappointed, so I sat next to her.

"I don't want you to hate me," she murmured.

"Why the hell would you think that I did?" I scoffed.

Her green eyes snapped to mine, and I saw apprehension. This was the Alice Cullen I had met two years ago. She was just a sophomore at U-Dub, Jasper was close to graduating. They'd had an elective class together, and I guess they had started fooling around. Since Lilly had been born, I had transferred to the University of Washington's branch campus here in Port Angeles. Jasper had always gone back and forth so he could help out with Lilly.

It was during one night that Charlie had come over to watch her, while Emmett and I had gone out. That was around the time he and Rose had taken their break. Em had been sad, so I wanted him to get out. We had gone to this bar near the U-Dub campus. It was fun, we were drinking and playing pool, until these two kids had bumped into me while making out. My beer spilled all over me and Emmett was looking pissed. The guy finally removed his face from the girl's only to reveal that it was Jasper.

The only other time I'd seen the douche turn so white was when we found out I was preggo.

"_You couldn't watch Lilly tonight because of this?" I hollered, waving my hand at the small girl._

"_Lilly?" the girl asked, confused._

"_Yeah, his two-year-old daughter," I seethed._

"_Bella," Jasper hissed._

"_He's an asshole, good luck," I said, grabbing Em's hand and dragging his massive form behind me._

After that, Alice wouldn't talk to Jasper for a month. I, unfortunately, had to, but read him the riot act every time I saw him. He had been dating her for two months and not once mentioned Lilly. How could someone not mention their daughter to anyone? He said he was scared and really liked Alice. Blah, blah, blah, blah… He was a dumbass.

Apparently, even though Alice wasn't speaking to him, she did listen. She listened enough to hear my name because that broad had looked me up and was on my porch one day, after Lilly and I had come back from the grocery store.

She looked so much like a sad puppy that I had to let her in. Her eyes wouldn't leave my daughter. Alice asked question after question about us, she said that I seemed honest. Then the question arose if I was still in love with Jasper. I awkwardly answered with a "never have been and never will be". We'd been two dumb kids, that's all I could give her, but I'd let her know I had never once regretted my kid.

Things must have smoothed out between them because here she was, with that doorknob's ring on her finger.

"He said he talked with you," she whispered.

"Oh, we talked, but he must have left some of the details out," I joked, trying to make her feel better because I didn't deal well with conflict.

"Bella, he can't keep doing this," she sighed. "You are Lilly's mother and you need to know what's going on when she's in our care."

"Ali, trust me, Lilly keeps me well informed."

She looked down again before speaking. "My mother wants to meet you," she informed me.

"Why?"

"She loves Lilly and would like to meet her mother," she explained shyly.

"Uh, I guess that's okay," I mumbled, as Alice threw her arms around me.

Have I mentioned that Alice was a hugger, which was kind of uncharacteristic of her, since she wasn't all that cuddly. She got up to leave so I could start on dinner. I invited her to stay, which she did without hesitation. Rose came back down with Lilly, who was in her pajamas. Once both Rose and Alice left, Lilly and I were back to our regular routine.

* * *

"Hey, Bella," Mike smiled warmly. "Hello, Lilly."

"Hi, Mr. Mike," she waved from the Kids' section near the counter.

"What brings you in today?" I asked, without looking up from my inventory orders.

I heard the bell ring and saw a petite woman with auburn hair walk in.

"I wanted to see if you ladies would like some lunch?"

"Is that a statement or a question, Mike?" I asked, quirking my brow at him.

"Uh…" he fidgeted nervously.

"Why don't you go over to the hospital and ask Jess?" I shrugged, going back to my paperwork.

It was harsh, but he had some nerve, bringing the skank nurse in here. "Can I at least bring Lilly a cupcake from my mom's bakery?"

"Cupcake?" Lilly questioned, as she perked up.

"Since she heard you, sure," I said dryly.

"Okay, great," he said eagerly. "I'll be back."

As he scurried out of my shop, I shook my head. "The boy just doesn't get sarcasm," I sighed under my breath.

"Baby, how's the artwork going?"

"Bootyful," Lilly grinned, skipping over to me.

She had been looking at a _Mulan_ book we got in last week and declared she was going to draw the Disney badass. She didn't say that in those words, though. I placed my paperwork down and inspected the picture, taking a peek at my kid to see her awaiting my praise.

"This," I said looking down at her, "is pretty good, kid. So good, in fact, that I want to hang it here."

"Really?" she squealed, as I tacked her drawing to the pin board behind me. "I knew you would love it."

"I love anything you create," I scoffed, pulling her into a hug.

"What's that mean?"

"If you make me something, I'll always love it."

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed.

I was about to set her back down, but she insisted she wanted to sit on the counter. I noticed that my only customer was the lady that had come in while Mike was here, so why not?

"Mama, do you like Mr. Mike?" Lilly asked, tilting her head at me.

"He's nice, I guess," I shrugged, not trying to totally bash Mike to my four-year-old.

"He always brings us treats," she nodded.

Mrs. Newton owned the bakery a little ways down, and Mike's dad owned the sporting goods store in Forks. I actually worked there with Jazz in high school. He always offered to bring Lilly and I something from his mom's. At least, it'd happened enough for Lilly to ask Jasper about it, and for him to poke his nose into it.

"Is Mr. Mike like Ali?" Lilly finally asked.

"Um, baby… I'm not sure what you mean," I said hesitantly, as my fingers brushed through her curls.

"Will you be marrying him?"

I burst into disbelieving laughter at her question. Me marrying Mike, I just couldn't stop laughing. I clearly needed to explain things better if she was marrying me off to Newton.

"Mama, you have crying tears," Lilly said grabbing, hold of my face.

"That's because you're so funny," I told her, kissing her head. "Baby, I will never marry Mike, and as things are going right now, it's just me and you. No Prince to marry for Mama."

"We can find you one," she offered happily.

"Mmm, maybe later, baby," I giggled, hugging her close again.

"Excuse me," the petite woman smiled.

"Nana Emae?" Lilly smiled brightly, holding her arms out to the woman.

I watched as the woman held my daughter. I had no clue as to who she was, but Lilly clearly did. She kissed both of her cheeks and nuzzled her little nose against the woman's.

"Lilly, it's so good to see you," the woman cooed to her.

I frowned, not feeling too comfortable about Lil hugging this stranger as if she were family. Lilly turned her head to look at me, beaming excitedly.

"Mama, this is Ali's mama," Lil said, introducing the woman.

My eyes widened for a moment and, suddenly, I felt ambushed. Alice said her mother wanted to meet me, but I was assuming it would be at dinner... with witnesses or something. On my terms.

Me and mothers just didn't click. I don't know if it was because I didn't really have one or what, but it was like they could sense it. Sue loved me a lot, but she was just Sue and was a hell of a lot easier to deal with than Leah. When she and Charlie started dating, I was thirteen. She had seemed almost shocked that I had been this quiet girl who liked to watch baseball with my dad.

I hadn't had all the teenage angst that most of the girls in my class had. I hated drama and hung out with Rose, who'd had drama all the time, which was exhausting. Why put yourself through all of that?

"I want to apologize," Alice's mother said slowly.

"Uh, okay? I'm Bella by the way," I added, not even knowing her name.

"I'm Esme," she smiled warmly.

"I'm Lilly," my kid giggled.

"A comedian," I mumbled.

"Alice told me she talked to you about meeting." I nodded carefully. "From what she told me about you, I figured meeting like this might be easier. No nervousness."

"You live in Seattle," I stated dumbly.

"I do; well, Carlisle and I both do."

"That's Alice's dad?"

She nodded, looking down for a minute. "Rosalie has told me so much about you. Lilly too," she smiled, tickling my child.

"They're both pathological liars," I joked dryly.

Esme let out a chuckle, which threw me off. Lilly was now resting her head on Esme's shoulder. I could see that she liked her, or maybe even loved her. Sue was really the only grandmother figure, as Jasper's mom had hated the word 'grandma' for a woman in her forties. Grace Hale visited with Lilly at Rose's, but kept her distance from me. She always had. A girl without a mother was a faux pas in her high society upbringing. Jasper's dad had hung out with Charlie. They grew up together and went their separate ways after graduation. Julian ended up moving back after he'd married Grace. He was Forks' magistrate. He had actually cared enough to come over to see Lilly and me, and had made sure we were both all right.

"I was wondering if I could take you ladies to lunch," Esme offered. I felt that I couldn't say no.

"Sure, let me lock up."

I shut everything down and locked both the register and door. I had the 'Be Back in an Hour' sign up. If Mike came back, he would have to just get a damned clue. I suggested we go to this little bistro at the end of PA's shopping district, as it was only a couple of shops down.

"This area is quite beautiful, reminds me a lot of New England's shipping ports," Esme commented as we walked.

Lilly was in between us, holding both of our hands and swinging them.

"Is that where you're from?"

"I was raised in Nantucket and went to college at Columbia. That's where I met Carlisle."

"I've never been to the east coast," I told her.

"Really?"

"It's quite beautiful," she smiled.

"So, Alice grew up in New York?"

"No, Carlisle ended up going to med school in Chicago, Northwestern. We found out we were having Edward after we moved."

"That must have been… busy," I said, like an idiot. I hated small talk.

"It was hard. Carlisle had school and we had a new baby, it was lonely. I missed my family."

"Oh," I mumbled lamely.

I knew how it was to raise your kid on your own. At times, it sucked and was stressful, but I did everything for Lilly. I only cared about her happiness.

"Nana Emae, we're here," Lilly sung, stopping at the door.

"This place is charming," Esme gushed.

I liked it because it reminded me of the French Bistros in the movies. Angela Weber owned it. It wasn't stuffy, although it was like a cute deli, more than anything. I loved the sandwiches here.

"Miss Angie, I'm here," Lilly announced to the whole restaurant.

"Well, Miss Lilly, you are," Ang said in faux shock. "Hey, B."

"Yo, I'm taking my table," I said, walking past her.

"Shocker," she laughed as she followed, giving us our menus.

"Lilly, you know everyone," Esme said, patting her cheek.

"I do, they all love me… my people."

"Your people?" I scoffed. "I think you mean Mama's people."

Lilly wrinkled her nose at me and waved her hand in a shooing motion. We took a moment to look over the menu. I ordered my usual and a grilled cheese for Lil, Esme went with what I was having. We continued on with our earlier conversation while Lilly colored.

"We moved to Seattle when Edward was eight, Carlisle was offered an attending position. A few months later, we had Alice."

"And you've been here ever since?"

"We have."

"So, Edward is a bit older than Alice?"

"There is almost a ten-year age gap between them."

"That must have been fun," I snorted.

I would have been driven crazy if Lilly had been ten when I had another one. That's why I guess she's all I've been prepared for. I couldn't see a guy in the picture. It would just be me and Lilly until she went off to college and by then, I'd be an old hag living alone.

"You're frowning," Esme called me out.

"Am I?" I shrugged.

"It was hard when Alice was really young," she said, changing the subject. "She was always trying to get Edward's attention and he was too annoyed to play with her. Things started to change when he was sixteen. Alice was in the third grade and this girl had been picking on her. I'd had a meeting at work and sent Edward to pick her up so she wouldn't take the bus home. When he got to the school, he saw the girl push her. He later told me he had never been so angry to see someone do that to his baby sister," she smiled softly.

"Well, what happened after that?" I asked curiously.

"He picked her up every day from school until he went to college on the east coast."

"Really?"

"Hmm, he was great with her. It's been hard on us with him gone," she sighed.

"What made him decide to join _Doctors without Borders_?"

"On his spring breaks, Edward and his friend, Ben, would go on trips with Ben's family. One year, they went to Africa. It changed my son. Ben and Edward went off and did their own thing with one of their guides. They came across a small village where Edward said he had never seen so many malnourished children; he wanted to help them. A year later, his residency started and he was dead set on going into pediatrics. It was two years ago he told us what he wanted to do. He's worked in two villages in Africa and one in Cambodia."

"Bet he has a white knight complex," I teased.

"Gets it from his father."

"So, does he know about the wedding?"

"Alice got hold of him last week when he drove into a bigger village to make contact."

"He's all excited?"

"I think he's a little bothered that he's never met Jasper. He knows about Lilly and he's concerned that Alice hasn't thought this through. I think he's more worried about Lilly than Alice," Esme laughed.

"You can tell him yourself that I've got Lilly covered," I joked, ruffling Lil's hair.

"Mama," she huffed, annoyed.

"Sorry," I said, with my hands up in defense.

"I see where she gets it from," Esme mused with a grin.

"What?"

"Jasper is very… serious and Lilly's always playful and quick-witted. Carlisle, for the longest time, wanted to meet you to see if you were the one who Lilly takes after. After some time, I had to admit I was eager to be introduced, as well," she explained.

"Parents scare me," I replied honestly, before explaining. "I grew up with only my dad, and he got remarried when I was in high school. Our town was small and people always judged. It kind of became worse since that one," I said, pointing at Lil.

"Is that why you both live here?"

I shrugged. "I've always loved PA. School was here, and now I have a business here as well."

"Would you ever move?"

"I'd never say 'never', but this is home. Jazz is an hour away and my dad is too. We're in the middle, it works for now."

"You sound like Edward," she laughed. "He always says 'It works for now, Mom'. Drives me up a wall, that boy."

"You miss him," I stated, I could see the 'mom' eyes.

"He has a hero complex. Like the story I just told you about Alice - he's always been like that. He has such a respect for women and feels the need to protect them. A couple of months ago, he got into a scuffle with the Rebels. He was delivering a woman's baby and a few hours later, a crew came through trying to take them. Edward didn't let that happen. We got a call that he was missing. He had gotten the woman to her brother's house in a neighboring village. My heart stopped when they told us what had happened," she exhaled a breath, patting my hand.

The more we spoke, I just couldn't wrap my head around how Jasper was going to fit into this seemingly wonderful family.

**A/N: Next chapter we have EPOV! There will be two more chaps until we are at Santa's Kiss. Let me know your thoughts! This chapter was beta'd by Dolphin62598 and Mauigirl60. They make everything run smoother!**


	3. Chapter 3

**EPOV**

"Cullen," Peter called, stepping into the infirmary.

I had been looking at the pictures Alice had sent me of her wedding. When my baby sister first told me about Jasper Hale, I wasn't sold. I'm still not. He was a few years older than she was and already had a kid.

His daughter didn't live with them, but with her mother. I asked questions of the situation over the past two years. Alice had sent tons of pictures. She sent me one of her with Jasper's sister and a girl who was beyond beautiful. When I asked, she told me that was Lilly's mother, Bella.

I had seen pictures of Jasper, but couldn't really see him and this Bella together. He always looked rather serious, where Bella and Lilly looked warm. They were their own family unit. It felt inviting.

"What?"

"You look…sad, man," he laughed.

"My kid sister got married last week," I mumbled, holding up the album.

"To the guy you've never met?"

"Yeah, I don't get it," I threw my hands up.

When I was in med school, Mom mentioned frequently that Alice was always complaining about being broke. I suggested that maybe she babysit or something. My sister threw that idea out quickly, saying little kids were sticky and gross. Now she was someone's stepmother.

"Isn't your sis a little young to have a ready-made family?" Pete asked, flipping through the pages.

"One would think," I sighed.

"The brunette in the background is a babe," he whistled.

"That's my brother-in-law's baby mama," I informed him, as I snatched my book back.

Mom had told me a lot about Bella over the past few months. She seemed to love her. I glanced down, letting my thumb brush over her frame. Alice was having her garter taken off while Bella was stooped down fixing something on Lilly's dress. Of all the things happening in the picture, my eyes were instantly drawn to her.

"She wasn't in the wedding?"

"No, Alice asked her, but Bella felt uncomfortable."

Pete snorted as his hand patted my shoulder. "You sound like you know this girl."

"Never met her," I shrugged.

"What's the knuckleheaded brother-in-law do?"

"Wants to be a psychiatrist."

"Sounds douchey."

"Hmm."

"So, his kid and her mother like your family? That must be awkward, watching your ex marry someone else," Pete commented.

"Thing is, Alice said they were never together. They grew up together… things happened one time…" I trailed off.

"No glove, no love," he joked.

"They were kids."

"She really is a beauty," he clucked his tongue.

I gave the image of Bella one more glance then closed the album, giving Peter my full attention. "What's up?"

"Zola woke up. She won't eat for Char," he informed me.

We'd found Zola in a neighboring village a few months ago. Her parents' bodies had been rotted around her, she had been orphaned because of the rebels. She'd been malnourished and dehydrated. I'd scooped that little girl up in my arms and had brought her back to the infirmary.

I followed Peter into the children's ward we'd set up and saw Z jumping up and down holding onto her crib handles. "Eh," she called, holding her arms out to me.

"Hey lady," I cooed, lifting her into my arms.

The small girl cuddled into me as her dark eyes peered up. I laughed down at her. The work I had done here was gratifying. When others had said we weren't even going to make a dent of difference here, I thought they were wrong. Seeing Zola and half of the kids and families we worked on heal was important. Zola had a fighting chance now because we had taken her in.

"Dr. Cullen, she won't take her bottle," Charlotte said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Here, give it to me," I smiled, taking the bottle.

She shook her head as Z readily took the bottle. "You have the touch with this one," she laughed.

"I just hope she'll be okay adjusting to her new life," I frowned, playing with one of her wild curls.

Zola smiled up at me from around the nipple of her bottle. Her social worker had informed me a month ago that a family from the states was interested in adopting her. The wife had been here once to meet her and it had been love at first sight for her. I worried because I didn't want all of our progress with Z to be set back. She had been clingier with me, not wanting the nurses to feed her or rock her to sleep. It was as though she knew what was coming. Her life was about to change in a big way.

"She's leaving around the same time you are?" Peter asked, peeking at her.

"Yeah, Sonia wants me to fly to San Francisco with them. She talked to the Biers family and if it makes the transition easier on her, why not?" I shrugged, making a face at Zola.

Her giggles launched and her bottle was forgotten. I brought her up to rub her back, hoping that she would nap. "What are you going to do when you get home?" he asked.

"My dad needs a new pediatric attending and he wants me for the job," I explained.

I let out a chuckle as Z mimicked my actions and patted the back of my shoulder.

"I wouldn't have taken you for a trauma doc," Pete said.

"I specialized in Pediatrics before coming here. I like being a voice for the little people," I joked, kissing Zola's head.

"So, you're perfect for the role of uncle then."

I let out a breath. "That's up to her mother. Alice says she's cool with letting the family in, but it has to be a little weird to have these strangers in your life when you didn't sign up for it."

"How do you mean?"

"My dad told me that Jasper tends to leave Bella in the dark about his time with Lilly or anything that can affect her."

"Guy sounds like an a-s-s…"

"I guess I'm going to have to wait to meet him before I can make any real judgments."

"No one's good enough for baby sister, right?" he teased.

"Never," I grumbled.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that the statement couldn't have been truer. I had made the plane ride with Zola to her new home. I knew as soon as we stepped off the plane that Z wasn't happy about it. The crowd in the airport had been like nothing she had ever seen before. She buried her face in my neck as we walked through customs for our connecting flight. When we arrived, her new adoptive mother, Bree, looked to be around Alice's age. She was nervous and asked me a lot of questions about Zola.

Sonia encouraged Bree to call me since I knew Z best, and I was the closest if she needed anything. She also wanted to remain in contact during their adjustment period. My heart cracked as I handed Zola over to her new mother. Her bottom lip trembled and I kissed her head. This is what I'd wished for her when we'd found her all those months ago. She would now grow up in a world where she had every opportunity.

It was the next morning when my plane landed in Seattle that I felt the oddness set in. People were on their cell phones, iPads, and laptops like those things were their lifelines. In this world, we took everything for granted. I shuffled to the carousel when I saw my dad smiling at me with his hands in his pockets.

"You look like shit," he chuckled.

"Jet lag," I mumbled.

"The transition is going to be rough," he sighed, wrapping his arm around me, as we started walking out to the car. "What you did for that little girl was really admirable , kid."

"I'm happy she found a home before I left there. If I would have left and she'd gone into that orphanage, I don't think I could have come back," I replied honestly, patting his back.

"Don't say that to your mother and sister."

"Speaking of mother and sister, where are they?"

"Alice has a term paper and Jasper is meeting with his thesis advisor."

"Okay," I said slowly. "Where's Mom?"

He sighed. "She's watching Lilly. Alice and Jasper are busy this weekend with school so Lilly was spending time with Bella. This morning, Bella got a call that her dad tore his ACL, so your mother offered to watch Lilly," Dad explained.

"I'll get to meet her then?"

"Yes," he responded carefully. "Edward…"

"Dad, I'm going to be honest, this guy isn't really painting himself in a perfect light. Shouldn't his daughter come before school in a situation like this? Her mother is probably worried about her dad and she has Lilly to consider."

"Trust me, Edward. Your mother practically had to order Bella that Lilly would be staying with us. She's a great mother."

I could see that from Alice's wedding album. "I can't believe you let Alice get married and I haven't even met him."

"One, your sister is an adult so she makes her own decisions, and two, you were preoccupied helping others who needed it. I didn't think you would be back so soon," he said, raising an eyebrow.

I remembered this look from when I was a kid. My dad hadn't really scolded me growing up because he was in med school and starting his residency for the first eight years of my life. It was after Alice was born when he began to be focused more on me. I had always been close with my mom and, in a lot of ways; I had seen the hurt and guilt he had gone through when his schedule wasn't as insane.

That was part of the reason that I'd lived my life the way I had. If I wanted to have a family, I wanted to be sure I had done everything I could before my time wasn't my own anymore. Now, with Alice married, it made me worry about her. She had grown up with our dad home by six most nights, with both parents at her dance recitals and cheerleading competitions. Her husband had a child that he only sees on the weekends; how does she feel about the little girl and being someone who was somewhat important in her life?

"I think it's time for me to be home," I shrugged, being very vague as I thought about what being home meant to me.

* * *

We talked more about the hospital and the children's wing. He let me know that this was where he could see me thrive. My father had never questioned my path of becoming a pediatric surgeon; he'd only encouraged me and, for that, I was grateful.

It felt weird to be walking into my childhood home after two years of being gone. It might have been the exhaustion, but I almost started to cry. As soon as I set my bag down, I smelled my mom's famous meatballs from the kitchen. When I turned my head, I caught little toes wiggling from the couch. Curious, I moved to the doorway. Alice had said Lilly was four, but in person, she looked so small. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and the heels of her feet barely hit the edge of the couch cushion. She was watching a cartoon on the flat-screen.

Dad chuckled when Lilly caught me staring. She brought her hand up and wiggled her little fingers, giving me a shy smile. "Hi," she chirped.

"Hi," I replied, sitting next to her.

I took in her wild blonde curls that were much different from Zola's. Her brown eyes were big and bright. She looked like a doll that Alice had carted around when she was little. Breaking me from my thoughts, she stood, placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Lilly, this is Alice's brother, Edward," Dad introduced us.

"Like in the pictures?" she grinned goofily.

Her dress had long sleeves and was forest green. She looked comfortable, yet wild in my parent's house. I was surprised that mom had let her run around here barefoot because when we were younger, we had to wear slippers or socks. Mom was always on a crusade against germs, saying what our shoes had brought in from the outside could make us sick.

"Yup, like the pictures," I answered.

"You didn't visit Daddy and Ali's party," she scrunched up her nose. "It was soooo good. Mama even let me stay up, but that's a secret," she brought her finger up to shush.

I looked over at my dad and saw the amusement on his face. It was clear my family adored this little girl and I could see why. I heard the cry from the doorway and turned my head to catch sight of my mother.

"Bubba," she cried, calling me the nickname she'd given me as a child.

Dad scooped Lilly up and I walked over to my mother. She pulled me in for a hug as I stood in front of her. Lifting her off the floor, I spun her around playfully. When I set her back down, she pulled away and I wiped her tears away with my thumbs.

"Don't cry, Mom," I murmured, giving her a grin.

"I missed you, Bubba," she sighed, squeezing me tightly again.

"I'm here, and I even made it back in one piece," I teased.

She slapped my shoulder and ran a finger under each eye to get rid of her tears. She smiled over my shoulder, where Lilly sat with Dad on the couch. The little blonde tilted her head curiously, but didn't ask any questions on our behavior at my homecoming.

"I'm finishing up dinner, why don't you go wash up?" Mom suggested.

"Is it okay if I hang out on the couch for a while?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck tiredly.

"Sure," she nodded.

"I'll take your bags upstairs," Dad offered, patting my back.

Lilly was back to sitting on the end of the couch again as she watched her cartoons. As soon as I hit the cushions, I was out, feeling a slight weight burrow into my side. I was finally home and it felt right.

**A/N: Here's what I'm thinking, Edward's POV was like pulling teeth… it was long and hard to grasp from him. That being said, his POV will be far and few between. I also might do the one-shot from his POV just to give you all something fresh. Another note is Conversations last chapter is being written. I have an idea… I may or may not be writing a chapter for a zombie apocalypse E/B story, but you guy will be the decision makers if it shall continue or not. **

**Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598 beta'd this chapter so a huge thanks to them!**

**Also I have to say last week I met Ed Sheeran because I won a radio contest for a private concert. BEST DAY EVER! He is the most charming and friendly Brit I've ever met and is even better live than some of the other concerts I've been to. **


	4. Chapter 4

**BPOV**

"Uhhhh, what am I looking at?" I asked, as Rosalie shoved her phone in front of my face.

The closer I moved my face down to her phone I saw Lil sleeping with a very attractive guy. " Who is that guy sleeping with my child?" I asked, sort of horrified.

"Stop," Rose nudged me. "That's Alice's brother. When I went to pick Lilly up, this is what Esme showed me. Edward had just arrived home from three days of traveling and he fell asleep, Lily curled up with him. It was so adorable," she sighed.

"Like ovary explosions?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

"If I answer, will you tell Em?"

I had my fingers crossed behind my back as I shook my head.

"Bible?"

"Bible," I agreed, raising my right hand, left hand fingers still crossed.

"Total ovary explosion," she sighed.

"Interesting," I mused.

Truth was I had seen pictures of Alice's brother and he _was_ super good-looking. His bone structure was pretty ridiculous. He was also older, in his early thirties. The more I heard Jazz tell Emmett about him, he seemed like a drifter, but when Esme spoke of him, I could see the man she and Carlisle had raised. They both practically burst with pride.

"How's Charlie?"

"Pissed as all hell that he can't do what he wants," I groaned, throwing myself down on the couch.

When Rose finally brought Lily home, I was all comfy in my PJs. This weekend had been rough. Charlie thought he was Channing Tatum and decided to run down this little punk who was selling weed near Newton's. Turns out that my dad wasn't Channing Tatum and he tore his ACL. Not only that, he also needed surgery. If it wasn't enough for Sue taking care of her hormonally amped-up daughter, she now had my grumpy pain-ridden father to add to the mix.

"What's the verdict?"

"Physical therapy for months and desk work. I tell you, I have never, and I mean _never_, seen his face get that red before. Those machines were buzzing and he was 'motherfucking' Dr. Gerandy," I laughed. "Sue then ripped Dad a new one."

"I would have paid to see that," she snorted, snuggling on the other end of the couch.

We relaxed since Em was with dad for the night, watching the game. I had put Lily to bed an hour ago so it was nice to just sit and veg out in front of the TV.

"So, what was Alice's brother like?" I asked nonchalantly.

I had to admit my interest was definitely peaked. Rose side-eyed me before kicking my leg.

"You really want to know?" she asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"Well, he seemed really nice."

"You mean fake-nice?"

"No, genuinely nice. Bella, he let your kid drool on him and he was fine with it. He was still kind of asleep when Esme woke Lily up, but he was really sweet with her."

"He's a pediatric surgeon, I sure hope he's good with kids," I said dryly.

"Esme explained that he had stopped in San Fran before coming home."

"Did she say why?"

Rose leaned forward and excitedly grabbed my forearm. "Ready for another ovary explosion?"

I motioned with my hand for her to continue, which she eagerly did.

"He rescued a baby in the Sudan. Her parents had been murdered and Edward and a few other doctors found her, surrounded by their bodies. Esme said the baby was malnourished and dehydrated. Edward was the one who would sit with her, rock her and feed her once she was strong enough to eat."

"What happened to her?" I asked quietly.

I was a mother. I knew I tended to be a sarcastic little snot, but to hear something like this killed my heart. I wasn't a huge fan of kids, only my own, but this little girl was all alone without her mother or father… it gutted me.

"The orphanage that was going to take her once she'd healed had a husband and wife come from California wanting to adopt Zola, the little girl."

"So, she's here?"

"Her social worker and Edward flew with her to her new home. He wanted to make sure she transitioned okay," Rose gushed, looking so goofy I just wanted to smack her.

"Okay, that's a little more than genuinely nice. That's like he's the second coming of Mother Theresa," I retorted.

"But he's an insanely gorgeous doctor."

"You're married," I pointed my finger into her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I think Em would agree," she tried to justify.

"Yeah, okay," I said slowly.

It was over the next few weeks that everyone had been going on about Edward. And yes, Emmett did agree that Edward was "one hot fucker". That was neither here nor there. The person who seemed most affected by Edward's return was Jasper.

I put a movie in for Lily and leaned down to kiss her. "Lay it on me," I said and she gave me a loud smacking kiss on my lips.

"Daddy's acting silly, huh?" I asked her this because Jasper was in my kitchen at the moment.

"He pwayed the football with Uncle Emmy and Uncle Edward," she explained, playing with the ends of my hair. "I think Daddy lost."

"What makes you think that, baby?"

"Uncle Emmy yelled he was a sore loser," she whispered as if Jasper could hear her.

"What did Uncle Edward say?" I asked merely curious.

She shrugged.

"What?"

"That's what he did, Mama," she sounded exasperated with me.

And she shrugged again to show me.

"Gotcha," I nodded, kissing her curls.

"Mama?"

"Yup?"

"Why is Daddy still here?" See, even the kid thought it was pretty freaking weird for her father to just be hanging out here.

"I think he wants to talk," I replied.

She started laughing like I'd just told her the best joke. It was a joke, though. Jasper either picked her up or dropped her off. Em and Rose's was a different story because there we had to co-exist.

I left Lilly to the movie I popped in for her before going into the kitchen. Jazz sat at the table, tugging at his blonde curls.

"You're going to go bald if you keep that up," I scolded and sat on the counter.

He glared at me for a moment until a frown covered his face. "I'm a likable guy, right?" he asked, and as I was about to answer, he stopped me. "Don't answer that - I know how you feel about me."

"What is wrong with you?"

"Alice's brother has been nothing but a dick to me," he huffed in frustration.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I have bent over backward to talk to him, but… he's a difficult read. Him and Emmett… if Em wasn't in love with my sister, I could see him running off with Edward," he said seriously.

"That's a very… serious yet ridiculous declaration coming from you," I chortled.

"Bella, I _am_ being serious," he snapped.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to gain my calm. He was pushing it already, sitting in my kitchen bitching about his new brother-in-law.

"I'm going to say this and it will be the last time I do," I paused, and with his nod, I continued. "I love Lilly with everything I am, she will always be the greatest thing I have ever done. So, with that being said, I want you to understand this. We were best friends in high school and during senior year, you have to admit we were drifting."

He nodded warily.

"You wanted to get your dick wet and I didn't want to be a mythical virgin going into college. We were assholes, Jasper. And now, we're tied together for life and for me, that's hell.

I like Alice and the Cullens, but you need to get one thing straight. They are your _chosen_ family. You married Alice and, by doing that, you are stuck with her brother. Not my problem. I live my life here with Lilly, my main and number one priority is our daughter… not your bullshit," I ended, crossing my arms over my chest.

Jasper stood up. For a second, I thought I had seen hurt flash across his face. He left without replying. It was surprising, but I was hopeful that I had gotten my point across.

**EPOV**

I sleepily stumbled downstairs and heard everyone in the kitchen. Upon my return, I learned Mom held Saturday brunches for Alice, Jasper and Lilly. To say it was rather odd for me would be putting it lightly. The more I was around Jasper; the more I thought he was a punk. Emmett had said he was a little misguided, but each time he was over here, he did something that rubbed me the wrong way.

Lilly was a perfect example of this. Every time he would interact with her, it was like he thought of her as a mini adult. He used this tone with her that was strict; the truth was that the guy needed to learn how to lighten up. Lilly was respectful of him, but it was obvious she didn't take him seriously.

As I walked into the living room, Lilly was sitting on the floor, looking at what seemed to be a magazine. I laid down on my stomach beside her to see what she was looking at. It turned out to be a catalog and it looked like she had a few of them.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she giggled.

"Good morning, Ladybug," I grinned. "What are you doing?"

"Well," she sighed dramatically. "I wants to get Mama a present. I know Santa gets them, but I want to give Mama a couple too."

"That's very nice of you. Is it a surprise?"

She nodded furiously. "The other day I heard Mama telling Daddy that she loved me sooooo much and I thought I should get her a present to say I love her soooo much," Lilly said earnestly.

"So you're looking through these?"

"Aunt Rosie gave them to me. She told me to pick out whatever I wanted. Daddy has my moneys."

"Oh, so they give you an allowance?"

"What's an alla-wance?" she asked, scrunching up her nose.

"When you do chores and then moms and dads give you money for it."

"I don't do that… Daddy's moneys is my moneys," she said seriously.

"Got it."

For some reason, I didn't think Jasper would agree with that. From what Emmett had told me, Bella and Jasper weren't fond of each other. He'd explained their whole situation to me. I felt uncomfortable for listening to his gossip, but I was curious about the infamously mysterious Bella.

"What's a 'trust fund brat'?"

"Why?"

"I heard Daddy tell Ali that Mama was a trust fund brat," she whispered loudly.

Obviously, Jasper wasn't aware that little ears heard everything and repeated it all. I scooped Lilly up and grabbed her catalogs. I placed them beside my laptop on the coffee table while sitting with Lilly on my lap.

"You didn't answer me," she reminded.

"Trust fund brat isn't something you should say, especially to your Mama, because it might hurt her feelings."

"I think Daddy tries to hurt Mama's feelings," she said sadly. "He says things not in a nice way. Mama is strong, though. She is so strong, Uncle Edward."

"I bet she is." I knew how fiery she was by reputation; again, I had heard a lot of stories over the past few weeks.

"Guess what she says?" Lilly asked brightly.

"What?"

"I'm rubber, you're glue; whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you," she giggled hysterically.

I laughed, kissing her head. Once her giggles had died down, I glanced over the catalogs. One was for and the other was for Pandora. Not knowing really what Pandora was, I flipped through the large pocket-sized book.

"I want to get a thingy for Mama's bracelet, please," she asked politely.

I booted up my laptop and went to both sites, shopping for Bella's gifts. Lilly settled on a silver heart charm with a small diamond in the middle. "She will love, love, love it," she squealed on my lap.

Alice walked in, with a smile on her face. "What are you two doing?" she asked softly, sitting beside me.

"I bought Mama some presents," Lilly declared proudly.

"What?" Jasper asked, frowning.

Alice seemed to like the idea; I assumed that because she was looking at me with that 'my big brother is a super hero' look.

"I bought Mama some presents," she repeated slowly, as if her father were dumb.

"Edward…" he started.

"You did good, bro," Alice encouraged before glaring at her husband.

"I'm gonna tell Nana Emae!"

Lilly ran out of the room. I stood up, about to walk past Jasper. "I figured since Lilly said her mom is a fellow Trust Fund Brat, I should help out," I smiled.

"I…"

"Funny thing about kids, Jasper, they hear everything and repeat everything. You might want to be careful about bashing her mother in front of her."

I kept walking and heard Alice reading him the riot act as I went into the kitchen. Once I was far enough into the room, I noticed a happy Lilly on mom's hip. She turned to me and looked as if she were about to cry. Wordlessly she pecked my cheek. "You're a good man, bubba."

"I try," I replied with a sigh, grabbing a mug for my coffee.

Mom shot me a look when I turned around and I knew what she meant. I was doing a favor for Lilly. She basically told me her mom deserved the best so I helped her out. For dealing with Jasper all the time, she deserved something from Cartier or David Yurman, but I digress.

As I drank my coffee, Lilly prattled on about Santa and how we all weren't allowed to tell Bella about her presents. When Jasper and Alice came in to join us for brunch, both looked less than happy to be there. Jasper shot a few glares my way and I was okay with that. I might have to hold back a bit on my preaching to him about children. He was already a father, when I wasn't even one yet.

Day after day, I saw parents in the hospital. Some were nice and very caring; some were detached and focused on other things. I guess it was all about what your role could be in a child's life.

Jasper was proving to be the latter, always focused on school and less about which My Little Pony his daughter absolutely loved. Lilly's happened to be Fluttershy. That little girl was truly precious and he was missing out.

**A/N: I lied Edward was being cooperative and decided to speak. I'm going to be honest right after I posted the last chapter I couldn't stop writing this! I know Jasper is douchey, but maybe he's just misunderstood… Right? This chapter was beta'd by Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598, so huge thanks to them!**


	5. Chapter 5

**EPOV**

"Hey, Santa," Kate giggled as she playfully nudged my shoulder.

"Ho, ho, ho, Nurse Kate," I said theatrically.

I saw the flash of Dad's phone before I saw him. His grin was wide and proud. "Your mother will cry when she sees this," he chuckled.

"Just another day at the office," I grinned, polishing off my knuckles on the red velvet jacket.

Dad squeezed my shoulder and slightly shook me. "Remember, we have an extra guest tonight," he reminded me.

"Bella," I smiled, thinking of finally meeting her.

Earlier in the day, Lilly was said to have given an epic guilt trip, causing her mother to now spend Christmas with us and not her family as she had planned. This was Lilly's first Christmas with her father as agreed upon through their custody agreement. Lilly didn't go by custody agreements and had her own idea of who she wanted to spend Christmas with. Bella caved and agreed to Alice and my mom's offer to spend Christmas together.

"Oh, look at that face," Kate teased after Dad left for his office.

"What," I shrugged her off.

"Doctor of the Sudan has a crush?" she snorted in disbelief.

Kate was my age and one of the only nurses here I could tolerate. In another life, I probably would have asked her out. She was a tall blonde, beautiful in every way…but something in me didn't want to date her. I think she understood why when she met Lilly last week.

Mom had brought her in when she'd brought Dad and medinner. I noticed Lilly was intimidated, and maybe a little scared of hospitals. She'd asked me if I was going to give her a shot. I had told her never. I'd carried her from Dad's office to the nurses' station for a lollipop. The nurses had flocked to her. I had seen a flash of understanding in Kate's blue eyes.

"So, you've never met the mom?"

"Uh, no," I hesitated.

How can someone be so entranced by someone they've never met before? It was insane. Maybe the Sudan had made me lose my mind.

"Santa, we're ready for you," Irina, the hospital's event organizer, called from down the hall.

I grabbed the bag of toys the nurses and I had chipped in for and hoisted it over my shoulder. As I entered the lobby of the children's wing, I was assaulted by hugs, small eager waves and smiles. That was why I wanted to dress in this ridiculous outfit. I wanted to make Christmas enjoyable for the patients and their families. By the end of the evening, it had proven to be a success.

* * *

After Dad had texted me picture after picture, I'd felt a twinge of sadness, missing our holiday traditions since I was actually home this year. I slowly made my way through the garage. When I was standing in the foyer, I caught sight of the small body on the couch. I quietly moved closer, seeing the woman I had only seen in photographs.

I squatted in front of her, hearing her snores. Taking in her rumpled appearance, I would say she'd been drinking with Dad and Emmett. Her brown hair hung over her face, so I brushed it back, taking in the freckles on her nose. I wanted to laugh at how similar to Lilly she looked at that moment.

I stood up, grabbing my messenger bag and pulling out Bella's present from Lilly. I set it with the rest of her gifts, which were stacked closely to mine.

"You have got to be kidding me," she mumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," I said, glancing over my shoulder. "You're Bella, Lilly's mom, right?" _I know who you are, though._

I turned with a smile, noticing her ogling me, which was completely fine with me. She was sitting up and I ogled her right back. Her tank top was tight and she clearly wasn't wearing a bra. My previous run of celibacy while in Africa was now taunting me.

"Wow, Santa knows my name," she said, rolling her eyes and folding her legs underneath herself.

"With sarcasm like that you're definitely on the naughty list," I said, raising an eyebrow.

I heard a little gasp from the stairs and wanted to laugh. Lilly was too curious for her own good; of course she wanted to sneak a peek at Santa Claus.

My back was facing the stairs and suddenly Bella pulled me into her. Taking me by surprise, her lips were instantly on mine. We were awkward for a second before my tongue sneaked into her mouth, and she decided then that we were done.

"Keep this PG-13, jolly boy," she warned against my lips. "My kid is watching."

"Well, she just witnessed you kissing me," I snorted in disbelief.

"She believes in Santa, if you turned around you would be scarring her adolescence," she accused with a glare.

I was struck stupid peering into her chocolate brown eyes.

"Hmm, are you wearing cherry Chapstick?" she asked, licking her lips after pulling away.

"It's cold out and my lips were getting chapped," I defended, before I pushed my erection further against her thigh.

"Huh, I though Santa was asexual," she mused.

"I'm married," I huffed.

"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"Santa has to stay in character."

She sighed, shaking her head, going around me to where Lilly was sitting on the stairs.

"What are you doing up, little miss?" she questioned, hands on her hips.

"Momma, Santa's giving us presents!" Lilly bounced from her seat.

"He won't be if you don't get your cute butt back into bed," she told her, lifting her into her arms.

As Lilly laid her head on her mother's shoulder, I could see she was doing it to look around her. I dipped down adjusting a few gifts and ho-ho'd like I did for the kids at the hospital.

"You gave Santa kisses," I heard Lilly point out, giggling.

"That's a secret so don't tell anyone," Bella whispered, placing a finger to her lips.

"Otay," she nodded seriously.

I gave them a head start until I knew they were in Lilly's room. The door was open just a crack and I caught a glimpse of Bella tucking her into bed. She leaned her forehead against Lilly's and nuzzled her nose to hers. They were precious.

"Now, stay in bed until you see the sun outside or all of your presents will disappear," Bella explained seriously.

Lil's eyes widened. "Disappear?" she chirped.

"Like, poof, gone!" she waved her hands around.

"I won't get up again," Lilly promised quietly.

Bella leaned down, kissing her nose before Lilly kissed both of her cheeks. "Now, go to sleep, baby."

I stepped back and leaned against the wall next to the doorway. Her head was down and then she was staring right back at me.

"Really? All the presents will disappear," I smirked, impressed with her parenting tactics.

"With her, you have to think on your toes. If I didn't say that she'd just keep getting out of bed and I'd have to keep wrangling her back," she shrugged, now standing right in front of me.

I let my eyes wander over her face and body until my hand gently tugged on her small one. This definitely wasn't me. I wasn't some smooth guy that lured women back to my bed. Tonight, even though I was leading the way, she was the one that had a pull on me.

"I've seen pictures of you at Rose's house," I murmured. "At Alice's, they have a ton with Lilly and them, but none with you."

"Rose is my family. Jasper and I have what one would call a love-hate relationship. I love him for giving me Lilly, but hate him for being a grade 'A' douche, 98.9 percent of the time," she admitted honestly.

"You were best friends though?"

"When we were kids. You know, it's very rare that people say, 'oh this is my BFF from ninth grade'. I get why people don't keep in touch… they change and grow up."

"But Rose is still your best friend," I pointed out.

"Rose is an exception," she shrugged, brushing it off.

"His loss is my gain," I smiled.

"You're very sure of yourself, Santa." She bit her lip, placing her hands on my chest.

"_Not_ sure," I corrected. "You're very beautiful and I would be a jackass if I didn't acknowledge that and pursue you."

Her left hand cupped around my neck, pulling me down to her as she kissed me. She was small against me so I lifted her until she wrapped her legs around me. I was holding her awkwardly and realized I had a prosthetic fluff belly still attached to me. I laughed, carefully placing her onto my bed.

"Please tell me that thing is fake because if we proceed, and it's not, I'm afraid your gut might suffocate me," she teased, wrinkling her nose.

"So, no fatties?" I asked, cocking my head at her.

"No fatties," she answered with a frown, before wiggling her eyebrows at me. "Well, no fatties of the round kind."

"That's very crass, Bella. You're definitely on the naughty list now," I grinned, shrugging out of my coat. I threw that fluff to the corner of my room.

"I think I'm totally fine being on the naughty list. I endorse it actually," she nodded, pulling her shirt over her head.

"Christ," I groaned, launching myself at her.

She squealed as my hands touched the warm, soft skin of her sides. I pinned her under me, kissing her until we were out of breath. I felt the urge to be inside her so I tugged at her shorts, letting my fingers find her very wet and ready for me. She snatched my Santa hat off, throwing it somewhere. I didn't have time to care because she began to pull at my hair. I then let my fingers explore under the waistband of her shorts.

"Please, just everything off," she pleaded, puffing and thrashing under me.

I nodded in agreement, helping her out of her shorts as she started to push the elastic of my red velvet pants down. "Condom, Santa," she panted. "I have no idea where your candy cane has been."

"Hold on," I gritted out, reaching into my nightstand for the foil packet.

She took the packet out of my trembling hands, opened it and rolled it onto my awaiting erection.

"Santa, if this is what happens to girls on your naughty list…" she started, only to be cut off as I pushed into her.

"There's only one girl on my naughty list," I grunted, fully inside of her.

"Jesus Christ," she cried, clenching around me.

"I get this is his birthday and all, but this is my present," I mumbled, thrusting forward.

She laughed, tightening around me. I let out a groan into her neck, feeling slightly overwhelmed by how good she felt. "You're so fucking tight," I breathed.

"Since I conceived Lilly, one might call me a born-again virgin," she revealed.

"Seriously?" I puffed out, kissing her neck.

"Congratulations, you are the second man to ever have sex with me," she said wryly, as though it was something to be ashamed of. It only propelled me to move faster and show her what she was missing out on.

"Sooo good."

"Too good… perfection."

I pumped in and out as our skin slapped. Her nails dug into my back the deeper I moved in her. I hitched her leg around my hip, finding the spot I knew would break her.

"I-I'm the-re," she screamed incoherently.

"Just…almost…huh," I cried out, releasing into her.

I let my weight fall on her while we caught our breaths. "Not Santa, but definitely a sex god," she declared, still winded.

I pulled out, rolling beside her before pulling her into my arms. "If I'm a god, then you're a goddess," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"Okay," she agreed tiredly.

"Let's sleep?" I suggested, kissing her shoulder.

It was early morning and I noticed the sun creeping in through my blinds. I had been staring at the woman in my arms for a while. She was beautiful and I needed to get to know her. I wasn't one for one-night stands so to say last night had been uncharacteristic of me would be correct.

She shifted, rubbing her cheek against my chest. I let my hand stroke her skin just under her breast.

"Merry Christmas," Lilly yelled from the hall. "Daddy," she shrieked, her feet pounding further away from my door.

"Will she be looking for you?" I asked in her ear when I saw her eyes flutter.

"Mmm, she knows better," she sighed.

"You're not a morning person I take it?"

"I just don't like yelling and waking people up. She knows that and respects it," she explained. "When she's with me for the week, she just slips into bed with me in the mornings. She's my cuddle bug."

"You're a great mom from what my sister and Jazz have told me," I murmured. "And from what I witnessed last night."

"I try to be," she bopped my nose with my Santa hat, which had been tossed onto my lamp. "I think Santa has a thing for moms," she teased.

"No, Santa has a thing for _you_!" I tugged her down until she was lying beside me again and kissed her.

"God, I had a one-night stand with Santa," she groaned.

"A one-night stand with Santa, and also a possible relationship with Edward. You were busy last night." I playfully kissed her neck.

I wanted my intentions to be known. I wanted to hang out with her. Take her out for dinner. I definitely wanted her again. I could see us together.

Downstairs, I poured her a cup of coffee. Everyone was staring at us in confusion and disbelief, except for Alice. She had a smug knowing look on her face.

"I saw Momma kissing Santa," Lilly giggled from Jasper's lap, causing the whole room to go eerily quiet.

Jasper stopped eating his pancakes and just stared at Bella. Rose and Emmett both looked to be amused. Alice started to giggle. Mom and Dad hadn't come down yet so there was nothing to be embarrassed by on that front.

"I kissed Santa and I liked it," Bella shrugged, hiding her smirk in her coffee mug. "Sue me."

"I know for a fact Santa loved kissing you," I murmured, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

Jasper whispered in Lilly's ear and huffed something out before going into the living room. The kid looked pissed and I had no idea why, if he and Bella didn't like each other.

**A/N: Next chapter we are going back to Bella's POV for at least… awhile. I know a lot of you have your pitchforks waiting for Jasper… Now a lot of things will progress from the one shot. Welcome to the story! All the betaing credit goes to the amazing Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598! Huge thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**BPOV**

I sighed; looking down at the charm Lilly had given me for Christmas. I noticed a few small diamonds on it and glared at Rose; she shook her head at me and I could tell by the look of shock on Jasper's face that he hadn't been aware. Now that I was sitting in my dad's living room next to Seth, showing Lilly the video game we had gotten him, I wanted to know where that charm came from.

We had opened gifts with the Cullens. Edward sat next to me, hooking his pinky with mine every so often and I had felt weird. What I could remember of the sex and what I was now feeling from the sex, it had been amazing and I was sore.

I was still trying to get over the fact that I'd slept with Alice's brother. I had let him give it to me good! God!

"Mama?" Lilly asked, climbing onto my lap.

"Yes?"

"Pap has been saying your name for forever," she giggled.

I looked at my dad, who was sprawled out in his recliner, arching an eyebrow at me. "Yes, Father dearest?" I raised a brow back.

"Seth, take the kid in to help your mom," Dad said.

Seth looked between us before finally scooping Lilly up into his arms. "Come on, Lilly, lets see if Nana has any cookies I can snatch for us," he said, giving her a tickle.

"Not too many, Seth," I warned, but knew it fell on deaf ears.

Charlie sat there staring at me and I finally threw my hands up. "What?" I asked, exasperated.

"You're acting weird," he said, with a shrug.

"I'm not acting weird," I scoffed.

"Jasper give you any shit while you were spending Christmas morning with strangers?" he glared.

"Strangers?" I questioned.

"Yeah, they're not your family. You and Lilly should have been _here_ this morning. It's not like he really cares. It's just a show for him."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, clasping my fingers together. "Dad, you know we have a custody agreement. This year was his year. Also, I know Jasper is awkward with Lil, but he _does_ love her."

Dad huffed, not saying anything at that. "You're still acting weird," he accused.

"How am I acting weird?"

"When you came in you didn't fuss over me like you have been," he pointed out. "Leah was shuffling around down here and you were nice to _her._"

"I didn't say a word to her," I argued.

"Exactly," he pointed his index finger at me with a frown. "You usually tell her to get her head out of her ass or something to that effect."

"I'm not being weird, so stop," I said shaking his shoulders.

He patted his hands on top of mine and I saw Charlie's mustache twitch. "You'd tell me if something was up, right?"

"I would."

"You know you're my kid…"

"Dad," I frowned.

"I love Seth and Leah, but you're _my_ Bella. The moment the nurse gave you to me… I've never felt so in charge in all my life. I'm the Chief, but they gave you to me to guide and protect. When I see you struggle, Bella…you're stubborn like me and I get it, your pride wins out, but I'm here for you always."

"As sappy and sentimental as that was - which I'm chalking to up to your Christmas spirit - I know you're here for me and I appreciate that." I smiled, leaning down to kiss his head.

Before dinner Dad was still watching me like a hawk until I went into the kitchen to sit with Sue. She had her infamous bright red Santa sweater on. Her long hair was held back in a ponytail. I remembered when I was younger and Dad had started dating her, I'd thought she was beautiful, with her high cheekbones and shiny black hair; she was proud of her heritage and culture.

"Is your dad driving you crazy, Bells?" she asked, shooting me a smirk.

"He says I'm being weird," I huffed, taking a bite of a carrot.

"Are you?"

"Lilly got me this for Christmas," I said, shoving my new charm in front of her.

"Wow," she said carefully.

"Rose didn't buy it for her and neither did Jazz," I continued.

"Maybe Alice or her mother," she suggested.

"No, they fussed over it like they were seeing it for the first time."

"Then who?"

"I slept with Alice's brother last night," I blurted out.

Sue blinked at me for a second before shutting off the stove burners and taking a seat beside me. "Okay, I think we need to rewind," she said softly.

Sue was a soother. When I'd had my first period, I freaked out and Dad sure as hell hadn't known what to do with me. I remembered him trying to get hold of Renee, thinking she would know. She never picked up and about half an hour later, he was supposed to have picked Sue up for a date. He'd told her what was going on and she had come straight over, fussing over me. That was the first time I'd learned what it was like to have a real mom.

"I drank way too much… I was maybe a little sad that I wasn't here so I had wine… a lot of it. Then, Emmett and Carlisle challenged me and you know I can't be challenged."

She combed her fingers through my hair and nodded. Mine and Seth's antics since he'd gotten into college were proof of that. I could drink everyone under the table if I tried.

"So, Alice's brother was there too?"

"No, he was at work… He's a pediatric surgeon at Carlisle's hospital. Last night he played Santa for the children's wing," I explained.

Sue's eyes softened at that; even she knew the man was a saint.

"I woke up on the couch and there he was, putting some gifts under the tree."

"And then you slept with him."

"No, Lilly saw him talking to me and I kissed him out of panic that she had seen him. I put her back in bed and _then_ we slept together."

"You were drunk and he wasn't?" she asked frowning.

"I was fully aware, it wasn't like that," I explained hurriedly. "He is very… I don't know, we didn't really talk much. There was talking, but…" I trailed off.

"I get it, say no more," she said waving her hand for me to stop.

We were quiet and I stared down at my bracelet. "I don't want to lecture you."

"You don't lecture," I assured her.

"Leah says I lecture. I had a feeling Sam would break her heart. When they moved in together, he had become so demanding. Your father had seen it too. I tried to get her to talk to me, but that made her shut me out," she sighed.

"Leah shut you out because she thinks she knows everything. If she had opened her eyes, she would have seen the looks Sam and Emily shot each other all the time."

"I just want you to be careful."

"Because he's Alice's brother?"

"The whole thing is a delicate situation," she began, as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I know who you are as a person and a mother. It's Jasper who makes me worry."

"He doesn't need to know what happened. He knows we kissed because of Lilly, but that's it. The Cullens are Jasper's family. It's not like I'll be seeing him often."

* * *

Lilly's usual drop off time had come and gone. No one had texted me or called, which had me a bit on edge.

I sat on the counter, popping a cherry tomato from my salad into my mouth. Rose had to work a double tonight and Em was eating dinner with his parents. I was feeling lonely and missed Lilly.

"This is a glimpse into your future, Swan," I mumbled.

That's when I heard the running feet in my hallway. "Mama, I'm home!" Lil hollered through the house.

She flew in front of me and halted. "You have your jammies on?"

I looked down at my tank and shorts, nodding. "I do. Where's Alice?"

"At the library," Edward answered, walking hesitantly into my kitchen. "Sorry she ran in here. I wanted to knock, but it's her house, so…"

"No, it's okay," I stopped him awkwardly.

"Your home is beautiful."

"Thanks."

"Mama, you're talking all quiet," Lilly laughed and I rolled my eyes.

I set my salad down and hopped off the counter, scooping Lilly into my arms. Ten minutes ago I had been freaking out over where she was and now that she was in my arms, I felt as if I could breathe again.

Lilly laid her head on my shoulder and I turned to Edward. He was watching us. "No one called," I said bluntly.

"Jasper told my mom he was going to call you."

"Baby, why don't you go get your jammies on and then we can eat dinner and watch a movie before bed," I murmured.

One look at her face and I knew that she was tired. "Okay, Mama," she whispered, letting her fingers play with my hair. I playfully kissed all over her face to get her to wake up a bit before letting her run off to her room to get changed.

I watched as Edward leaned against the doorframe. I was starting to see that he was a man of few words, which I kind of liked.

"So, how did my kid get pawned off on you?" I asked, arching my brow.

"Jasper was stuck in a meeting for a professor he'll be TA'ing for and Alice was called into an emergency group meeting with her study group; they have something they have to start when school resumes after their break," he offered. "I got home from work when my mom was about to leave. I told her I would bring Lilly home."

"It's not up to you to bring her home," I snapped. "How long did you work?"

"I just pulled a double."

"You'll stay here tonight. I won't be responsible for your demise for being a decent human being."

"Very noble of you," he said, with a grin.

I stared at him as he moved closer to me. He brought his hand up to cup my face and all I could really do was blink.

"I'm not a slut," I blurted.

He frowned as his thumb brushed my cheek. "I didn't think you were."

"I… just don't make it a habit to have sex or… form any kind of relationships with men," I explained lamely.

"You've never had a boyfriend?"

"No?"

"If it makes you feel any better I haven't slept with anyone since before I left for Doctors Without Borders."

"That long?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah," he answered, smiling sheepishly.

We remained quiet, smiling like two idiots at each other. He leaned his head down, giving me a quick kiss. "What are we doing?" I asked.

"Whatever you want," he murmured.

"You make me nervous," I replied honestly.

"Mama," Lilly called, bouncing in with her Belle nightshirt on.

"Uncle Edward, are you staying to watch a movie with me?"

"Yeah, I think I am," he answered, picking her up.

As I made dinner, I watched Edward with Lilly. He was extraordinarily good with her. She was tired, but still remained her usual bubbly self. He sat and colored with her until I set her cut-up hot dog and fries in front of her. I made Edward the same thing except I didn't cut up his food, and he smiled gratefully.

"Mama, this is like a picnic," Lilly giggled.

"It is, isn't it," I mused, continuing to eat my salad.

"Is that good?" Edward asked, nodding toward my food.

"Yeah, it is."

"Mama's a veggie-arian."

"Vegetarian, baby," I corrected, as I leaned over to wipe some ketchup off her face. "And, I'm not really, because I do eat meat. She's heard Rose call me that."

"So, you're more like a selective vegetarian?" he asked, with an amused smirk.

"Exactly," I said, pointing my fork at him.

The rest of the night flowed easy like that; halfway during the movie, Lilly had fallen asleep on Edward. He was very careful not to wake her when I voiced that it might be better to take her up to her room. I wasn't one for emotions or at least showing that I had any, but seeing this man treat my child like the most precious thing he'd ever seen sent a whole lot of feelings coursing through me.

I kissed Lilly's head as I tucked her in. "I love you," I whispered, giving her another kiss. Edward kissed her too and followed me out.

"I was going to give you the guest room, but…" I stopped, puffing out a breath.

"We can take this slow," he offered quietly.

"Okay, but maybe we can have a sleepover."

He took my hand and I guided us to my room. I unbuttoned his shirt as he pushed his fingers through my hair.

"I know we don't really know each other, but I want so much to know you," he told me with a warm smile.

"This is going to be complicated," I warned.

"Because of Jasper?" he questioned gently.

"We're Lilly's parents, but that's all. It's already hard communicating with him. This…" I pointed between us, "…will break things even further."

"Can I say something?"

"Please, by all means."

"I love Lilly and I want to get to know you, Bella. I'm not going to let Jasper dictate who can be in my life, and you shouldn't either. Give me a chance, please?" he asked, shooting me a crooked grin.

I reached up, pulling on his collar so he could meet me halfway. His lips hit mine and the feelings I had from Christmas were coming back.

"I guess I'll keep you… for now," I grumbled playfully.

"Hmmm."

I sat on my bed as he tugged his shirt off, kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his jeans. He stopped, glancing down at me. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Are you sleeping in this bed with me?"

"I thought that was what you wanted," he said slowly.

"Then drop trou!"

He grinned taking his jeans off. I had to remember to breathe because he was killing me. Edward was not completely toned; he was kind of skinny, but I thought that would have been from living in a third-world country. His legs, though, were lean, more so his thighs; his briefs enhanced that.

"Miss Swan, are you ogling me?" he asked with a smirk.

I shook my head, crawling over to my side and climbing under my sheets. Edward followed me and pulled pulling me to him once he was settled. I let my feet brush against his calves. His head then rested against mine.

"Your feet are cold," he whispered.

"Not sorry," I giggled.

After a minute, he gave me a quick kiss. "You're definitely a cuddler, huh?"

"Am not," I protested.

"You _are_… I like cuddling with you."

"I've never cuddled with anyone other than Lilly," I admitted quietly.

"I'm honored then."

We lay wrapped around one another. It didn't take long for Edward to find sleep and as I watched him, I tried to figure out what we were doing. I'd never had someone take care of me. Each time we'd been together, it felt as though he was taking a huge weight off me. Could he actually be the real deal, or would all of this come back to bite me in the ass?

**A/N: I see such promise with these two kids! You know I need to know your thoughts because it helps me see their path! Huge thanks as always to my betas, Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598. They make this story better with their edits!**


	7. Chapter 7

**BPOV**

As soon as his lips touched mine, I deepened the kiss. "Happy New Year," he whispered. It had been a whole week since we'd met and now we were hiding inside Rose's pantry.

"Happy New Year, want a Rice Krispie treat?" I offered, picking one up from beside me.

"It's pretty ridiculous that I have to kiss you in here," he said.

"I know, but I didn't want a scene at Rose and Em's annual party," I explained, letting my arms rest on his shoulders. "I've also never had a New Year's kiss."

In truth, if anyone opened the door, they would find me sitting on a shelf with the skirt of my sequined dress hiked up. We weren't even going past first base in here, but that wouldn't be what this looked like.

"I'm happy I could be your first," he added with a smirk before kissing me again. "You know, it's believed that the way you spend New Year's Eve is the way you'll spend your whole year."

"Really?" I asked skeptically.

"Google it," he said, grinning.

The door opened and Emmett stood there, gaping at us, out of all the people who could catch us. I knew I'd never hear the end of it, especially since we were surrounded by his food. One thing that Em took seriously was his food.

"Bells, you've contaminated all my food!" he accused loudly.

"We didn't have sex, so stop!" I hissed.

Edward helped me down and righted my dress. It was true we hadn't had sex since Christmas. The night he'd slept over, Edward had been out of my bed before Lilly drowsily crawled in.

"Is that true?" he asked Edward.

"Yes, we didn't defile your food, Emmett," he replied dryly.

I laughed because even though Edward came off as quiet, he had a dry sense of humor and his sarcasm had awesome timing.

"I'm going to take your word then; hell, I'm too buzzed to care," he said, barking out a laugh.

Rose's head peeked in through the kitchen door, her eyes narrowing. She carefully slipped through the door with her hands on her waist.

"What's going on in here?"

"Nothing," I said, taking Edward's hand in mine.

"I've been busy with work, but I know something went down last week," she accused.

"We'll talk later." I said, trying to reassure her, and tugged Edward toward the back door.

"Where are you going?" she asked tiredly.

"My house; Alice and Jazz are sloppy on your couch and Edward's car's in my garage. They'll think he left in the morning. Please, just let this stay on the DL. I'll talk to you tomorrow," I pleaded.

"Fine, go," she sighed, kissing my cheek.

Once we were out in the cold winter air, I shivered for a moment. Edward wrapped his arm around me, trying to keep me somewhat warm as we entered my back door.

"Well, that was rather convenient," he teased.

I nodded, kicking my heels off. "Shoes," I reminded him.

He sat down at the table, untying his sleek black dress shoes. Edward had this tendency to always look good; but tonight, with him wearing a white button-down and black slacks, he looked unbelievable.

"You're drooling, what's up?"

"I don't drool!" I said incredulously.

He stood and gently tugged on my hands so I was closer to him. "I think you do. You were gaping at me," he pointed out.

"Whatever… You look good tonight," I admitted.

"I think you look _more _than good… breathtaking, maybe," he murmured, as one arm wrapped around my waist and his free hand tugged playfully on my messy braid.

"Are we going to have sex?" I blurted out, my eyes catching with his.

"I've been thinking about that and I want to take you out on a date first."

"You know, we're doing this completely backwards."

"Yeah, we are, but I'm not all about the fucking. If you'd been talking to me five years ago, I probably would have been singing another tune."

"You sing?" I squealed in faux giddiness.

He lifted me up so I was now sitting on the counter. "I happen to have a great voice. I was once the lead singer of The Pissing Saxons," he boasted proudly.

"The Pissing Saxons," I repeated with wide eyes. He had to be shitting me.

"We were a grunge band when we were sixteen," he explained, shrugging.

"You're fucking with me!" I said, pointing my finger at him.

He pulled his phone out, playing around with it until I noticed he was in his Facebook app. I was looking at it upside down and caught him scrolling through his tagged photos. Finally, he stopped at one and handed his phone to me.

It was a picture of a very young Edward, singing in front of a mic, with a shaved head, and wearing ripped jeans, a white beater, and a red flannel. Serious peals of laughter flew from my mouth, my face buried in his neck.

"Glad you have a sense of humor," he said, while rubbing my back.

"I just… your mom and Alice made you seem like such a Goody Two-shoes," I panted out. "But this was so unexpected… ahhhhhh," I shrieked out in glee.

"I think my mom blacked a lot of my high school years out. I was a little shit and my dad was a definite witness to it. Alice was too young to realize what I'd gotten myself into."

"So, you were a badass?" I questioned, pulling back to look at him.

"I got into trouble and grew up."

"Who posted this picture?"

"Eric Yorkie, who's now a civil rights lawyer in Seattle," he informed me, grinning.

"I think The Pissing Saxons need to make a comeback, like a one-night reunion concert. It would be the most epic thing to hit Port Angeles," I said, adding a fist pump.

"I'm going to be regretting this confession, aren't I?"

"Absolutely not!" I scolded. "Not only did I fuck Santa, but also the former lead singer of The Pissing Saxons. Oh, boy, wait until I tell Rosalie!"

He laughed, leaning down to give me a quick kiss. I deepened it as I wrapped my legs around him.

"Your turn," he said, pulling back.

"I'm afraid I don't have anything as exciting as that to share. I was a dork in high school… maybe one would say a burnout," I sighed.

I'd really only hung around with Rosalie and Jasper. Rose was on the cheering squad, but only because her mother made her. She was "a beautiful girl who'd been wasting her popularity by hanging around the likes of me", Mrs. Whitlock had said. Then, Jasper had been such a stoner; he was also a known dealer at our school and down in P.A. - never heavy stuff; usually, the stuff he peddled was mild.

"I didn't have a lot of friends; just Rose and Jazz." I shrugged.

"I'm a dork."

"Pfffft… I beg to differ, Mr. Teenage Kurt Cobain."

"Bella I became a sell-out at nineteen when I joined a frat."

I thought about that. Edward seemed to have had multiple layers in his life. I don't know why I said what I did next, but the words just flew right out.

"I became a mother at nineteen."

He stared at me like he was searching my face for something. Maybe he was looking for regret, but he wouldn't find that because I didn't regret Lilly.

"And you're one hell of a mother," he said, cupping my face. "Your little girl is so thoughtful and bright; that's because of _you_, Bella! She's _perfect_ because of you."

I blinked my eyes rapidly; I never usually cried unless Lilly was doing something to draw that emotion from me. The first time it had happened was when the doctor laid her on my chest after I had given birth to her. I'd been an absolute mess because she was crying like a banshee but was just so beautiful.

Edward's thumb brushed under my eyes, removing my silly tears. He had a way of saying things that made me feel like I was the best person he'd ever met. It felt both good and overwhelming at the same time. It was as if I was giving him these high expectations of what I could be, or how he saw me.

"Just like my Pissing Saxons past, I believe you have to have something to one-up that. To be honest, that's probably one of the most ridiculous things I can say about myself," he mused.

"You lived in the Sudan," I argued.

"And Cambodia," he added, with a wink.

"See, you're a world class traveler, definitely not boring," I said, shaking my head.

He didn't say anything, but lifted me up so he could carry me. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Your room."

And we did. It was the second night this week that he'd spooned me. The only difference was he wore his boxers, while I wore his button-down and a pair of boy shorts. His hand snaked up the front of his shirt, landing on my stomach. He pulled me closer so he was spooning me and that was the way we fell asleep.

The next morning, I opened my eyes to see Rose, looking as chic as always, sitting on the edge of my bed. I still felt Edward holding me close as she raised a perfectly-arched eyebrow at me.

"Go away!" I moaned at her.

"Huh?" Edward mumbled.

"Not you, her," I told him, taking his arm that was around me and pointing it at Rose.

He sat up a bit, squinted, and then let his head fall back onto the pillow. "Go away!" he grumbled.

"I need Bella," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Then take her with you… day off," he huffed, rolling over.

"Traitor," I said sleepily, moving to get up.

"Pants?" Rose gestured to my lack thereof.

"Hey, you woke me up! After you leave, I'm going right back to bed!" I told her. "No kid equals sleeping in."

We both went to sit at the kitchen table and I watched Rose steeple her fingers, pointing at me.

"Go!"

"We _slept_ together on Christmas Eve-ish and when he dropped Lilly off the other day, he actually slept over… no sex then."

"So, you're together?" she prodded somewhat eagerly.

"Like, not together…um, we're hanging out? I don't know, Rose… this is only the third time I've been around him since I met him."

"And yet here you two are, sharing the same bed," she added dryly.

"He says he loves Lilly and wants to get to know me." I sighed. "He's sweet and kind of hilarious."

"Look at you, getting all starry-eyed," she teased.

"I've never had someone who wanted to take care of us, and here Edward is. I'm pretty sure he wants to do that."

"Don't freak out," she scolded. "I'm independent enough to not be completely dependent on Emmett."

"That made total sense," I said, throwing my hands up.

"It did, now shut up!" she ordered, giving me a small smile. "What was it like?"

"Hot," I murmured. "He might be wonderful… not just with fucking, but he seems like an extraordinary human being."

"You deserve to be happy, Bella. Don't let Jasper try to mess it up for you, either. It's not his life, it's yours. For years, you've been dealing with him by yourself… maybe Edward can handle him too."

"I don't think Edward likes your brother too well."

"Who does other than Alice? That girl is too sweet to put up with his shit, but she also mellows him out. He's been smoking less," she added.

"If I find out he smokes his stoner supply when Lil is over there, I'll take his ass to family court and get our custody re-evaluated," I said calmly, as Rose nodded.

"You'll have no arguments from me."

"I know."

"So, are you going to go back upstairs and get into bed with that hot doctor?"

"He _is_ ridiculously good looking," I mused, trying to hide my smile.

"He's been consulting at my hospital and the nurses turn stupid around him."

"Even Stanley?"

"She's the queen of stupid when he stands on the other side of the nurses' station as he charts."

"I need to witness that."

Having Rose on my side, I felt like maybe I'd overreacted. I always thought that if I ever brought a man into my daughter's life, I would want him to cherish her as much as I did.

Now, I felt like I'd finally found that man.

**A/N: Awww, I think she really likes him! Don't you? Major beta props to** **M****auigirl60 and Dolphin62598 who are always a hug help. The next chapter is almost done too!**


	8. Chapter 8

**EPOV**

I had the day off today and wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. Lilly had stayed at my parent's house while Jasper and Alice had school obligations. I was starting to wonder why Lilly didn't stay with Bella if Jasper was too busy for his daughter.

I was tempted to call Bella and see what she was up to. Emmett and I played golf this morning, he told me she'd had a hard time when Lilly was away. So, when I got home and saw Lilly helping my mom with lunch, I felt for Bella.

"Edward, I'm bored," Lilly whined slightly.

"Well, what would you like to do?" I asked, setting my laptop on the coffee table.

She climbed up onto the couch, moving beside me. "What do you think my mama is doing?" she asked, instead of answering me.

I gave her a shrug, which caused her to make a face at me. Her nose wrinkled just like Bella's.

"My aunt is having a baby," she decided to inform me.

"Rosalie?" I questioned with a frown.

"Aunt Rosie's having a baby?" she gasped.

"Wait, you have another aunt?"

"Mama has a seestor like you have Ali," she explained.

For some reason, I'd been under the impression that Bella was an only child. I frowned because she said she was spending Christmas with her father and I assumed it was the three of them.

"What are you two up to in here?" Mom asked, giving us a smile.

She was carrying a load of laundry. I felt guilty that a few of my things were poking out from her basket. I'd told her I could do it when I moved back, but she was too quick.

"Bella has a sister?"

"Oh, she has a step-sister and brother. Why?"

"I was telling Edward my Auntie Leah is having a baby," Lilly told her. "Pap said the baby is a boy. Auntie Leah cries a lot."

"Um, maybe it's happy tears," I offered.

"She said Mr. Sam is a no good son of a…" I covered her mouth before she scored a seat on Mom's time-out step on the stairs.

"That's not a good thing to say, Lilly-girl," I said, scooping her up onto my lap.

"I need to throw this in," Mom said warily.

"We're good here," I assured her.

She nodded carefully and disappeared into the hallway.

"Your Mom lets you say bad words?"

"I get a time-out if I keep it up. I was only saying what Auntie Leah said," she defended. "Uncle Seth and Em say bad words all the time."

"Does your dad?"

She shook her head.

"Daddy doesn't like those words. He says ladies don't say bad words. Wanna know a secret?"

"Yeah."

"I hear Mama say bad words," she whispered, giggling.

Her brown eyes lit up to the point she looked mischievous. She not only had Bella's eyes, but also had her spirit.

"Let's just try not to say them, I don't want to have to put you in time-out, okay?"

"Okay," she said, with a nod.

I watched Lilly as her head turned, looking at my laptop. Her eyes caught what I had been looking at. Zola - pictures of her first Christmas with her new family. She looked safe and happy. I couldn't ask for more for her.

"Who is that baby?"

"That's Zola," I told her.

"I like her hair… she's pretty."

"She is."

"Is she your friend?"

"Yeah, she was my friend and I was her doctor."

"She was sick?"

"She was, but now she's better."

Lilly stared at the picture. "Her mama and daddy love her 'cause they're smiling big," she explained simply.

Lilly was bright and very observant. Zola clearly didn't look like Riley and Bree, but she knew who her parents were. In that moment, I hoped Lilly felt loved and wanted every day of her life.

I grabbed my phone and shot off a text to Bella.

_What are you doing? – E_

_Working… boooooring! - B_

"Lil, can you wait here for a second?"

"Okay," she sighed.

I closed my laptop, laying it on the coffee table and ran to the laundry room. Mom was sorting things on top of the dryer and she turned, arching an eyebrow.

"Where's the fire?" she asked.

"Uh, when did Jasper say he was picking up Lilly?"

"In the morning, why?"

"Don't you think it's unfair to Bella that he drops her off on you to watch when her mother feels torn apart each time she leaves?"

"Edward…"

"Mom, hear me out, I was thinking about taking Lilly home tonight. She's going to go home in the morning anyway. It would save Jasper or Alice the trip."

She stared at me carefully before letting out a sigh.

"What's going on between you and Bella, bub?" she asked pulling out the childhood endearment she used for me.

"I… I'm not really sure yet," I said carefully.

"Edward, you've always been sure of everything in your life. When we brought Alice home from the hospital, you were upset because we left. You would argue with your father to go to work with him, declaring you were going to be a doctor, too. You didn't like Carlisle working all the time, but you loved the idea of helping others."

"Mom, this is complicated and I want to move at Bella's pace."

"Does Bella's pace have anything to do with Jasper?" Mom questioned, arching an eyebrow again.

I let out a sigh. "I think her guard is up when it comes to us. She refers to us as Jasper's new family. Bella is strong…very strong, and she's raising Lilly practically by herself."

"I know that Jasper's my son-in-law, but I've seen how he treats Bella. I also see why she's kept her distance from us. She has her life in Port Angeles and she doesn't want to interfere with our lives."

"I get that Jasper is Alice's husband, but I really like her. We're all adults and he needs to get over it."

"It was Christmas wasn't it?" she accused with a small smile.

"Huh?"

"Your father said you couldn't take your eyes off her during breakfast."

"Dad's quite observant."

"He pays attention to you kids whether you want to believe it or not."

When I was younger, I'd resented Carlisle. It had always been just Mom and me, but when Alice came along, he was completing his fellowship and starting as an attending. He had all kinds of time then. By then, I was heading into junior high and wanted nothing to do with him. It was when I received my legacy bid that we became closer.

That was partially the reason I'd never had a serious relationship in college. I didn't want to meet someone and start a family when I knew how time consuming med school and my residency would be.

"I'll talk to Jasper," Mom said.

I nodded and left the room, announcing to Lilly she was going home. I had her on my hip as I gathered her stuff from the guest room.

"Uncle Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"Mama is gonna be sooo 'cited," she said, giggling.

"That's the plan, we're going to surprise her!"

Mom watched her as I set up her booster seat in my SUV. It was three o'clock once we hit the road. Bella said she'd be working until six. The idea of finding a grocery store popped into my head when Lilly told me she was hungry.

I had learned to cook from my mother and was probably one of the only guys in my frat that knew how. We would get groceries and suddenly I was the go-to guy to make dinner for everyone. Even in the Sudan, we'd had very little, but I was in charge of my team's food.

"What do you think your mom would like?"

"'Sketti," Lilly said quickly and hopefully.

"Spaghetti it is!"

"Lilly?" I turned around, hearing her name, and was met by a man with a mustache and a petite pregnant woman.

The pregnant woman would have been quite beautiful if it weren't for the scowl on her face. She looked to be about my age with raven hair that hung down her back.

"Hi, Pap!" Lilly said brightly.

"Hey, kiddo, I thought you were with Daddy this weekend." The man frowned, moving to stand beside me.

It didn't slip past me that he growled out the _Daddy_ part.

"Daddy's at school. We're surprising Mama."

"Hello, I'm Edward, Alice's brother."

"Chief Swan, Lilly's grandfather," he added gruffly.

"I bet Bella doesn't even know where her own kid is," the woman huffed as she moved past us.

"Auntie Leah is crabby," Lil sang out.

"She is, baby girl," Bella's father added, chuckling.

I watched Bella's father give me the once-over. He had this knowing look as if he'd solved something. It made me a little nervous.

"So, you two are grocery shopping?"

"We're making Mama some dinner, Pap," Lilly answered.

"Is that so?"

"Hmm mmm," she answered with a big smile.

"Tell me something, Edward, when did you and Bella meet?"

"Christmas Eve."

"Hmm," he mused. "I better go hunt down Leah, God only knows what she'll do if someone crosses her path."

I nodded and watched him kiss Lilly's head. For the Chief of Police, I would have expected more of an interrogation as to why his granddaughter was with me. He seemed to know something I didn't and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

**A/N: This is short, I know, but I wanted to get this out. I have a stomach virus, which I'm recovering from and wasn't sure when I would feel like updating. ****Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598 are my awesome betas, who truly are amazing.**


	9. Chapter 9

**BPOV**

"You're doing it again," Angela sang, brushing past me.

"Doing what?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Glaring at your phone, starshine," she cooed.

"Stop!"

Edward texted me hours ago and asked if I was busy. I responded and told him that I wasn't, but he had yet to reply. The only person who'd sent a text was creepy Leah saying, "Do you know where your children are?" She was so weird and if she wasn't preggo, I would probably cunt-punt her.

"So, what are you doing tonight?"

"Going home to sleep, Lilly will be home in the A.M.," I sighed, missing her greatly.

"Did Jazz or Ali text you? Is that why you're in a mood?"

"No, just…someone."

"Was this someone a guy?"

"I've maybe been hanging out with Alice's brother," I admitted.

"Wait, what? When did that happen?"

"Christmas."

"You've been "hanging out" with Alice's brother for three weeks now and haven't said one word?" she asked, with a huff of disbelief.

"This is a new development of sorts so quit acting offended. Rosalie didn't even know until last week. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a pillow waiting for me with my name on it and _you_ have a store to close," I ordered her, giving her my best boss look.

"This isn't over," she called out, as I grabbed my bag and walked out the door.

It was freezing and I shuffled quickly out to my truck that was parked at the curb in front of my store. When you looked down Main Street of Port Angeles, it felt like you'd stepped into a movie adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Quaint, privately-owned businesses littered the block. I remembered a trip my mother had taken me on to the Hamptons once, where a lot of the businesses had been like that.

"Hi, Bella," Mrs. Newton said, smiling as she walked out of her bakery.

"Hi, Mrs. N," I greeted her, fidgeting from the cold.

"I made some cupcakes for Lilly."

"Thank you, she comes home from her dad's tomorrow; she'll be super excited when she sees these."

"She really is a little doll and I know how much she loves them."

"Oh, does she _ever_; thanks again."

"Have a nice evening, dear," she said, giving my hand a squeeze.

Mrs. Newton is a genuinely nice woman, but I have a slight feeling these might be a buttering-up tactic for Mike. It was public knowledge that he was with Jessica Stanley, but Jessica had quite the reputation. I could see Mrs. Newton trying to save her little boy's heart.

Starting up my truck, I took the familiar route home. My phone beeped and I saw that it was Em. Quickly, I skimmed the message, hoping that I don't get pulled over for texting and driving. I've been guilty of that, but I never check my phone when Lilly's in the car with me.

**I'm grabbing a few things from your garage. Lights are on. –Em**

Lo and behold when I pulled into my driveway, the downstairs lights were on. Once I had the car in my garage, it looked like the way it had when I left, so what had he needed? I opened the door, kicking my shoes off in the mud room.

Then, I heard the little pounding until my daughter almost knocked me down from her hug. "Mama!" she squealed.

"Baby!" I mocked back.

Looking down at her, I realized she was already dressed for bed, her wet curls clinging around her face. "Who gave you a bath?" I asked, scooping her up.

"Aunt Rosie 'cuz Uncle Edward is making us food," she explained, laying her head on my shoulder.

I walked us into the kitchen and spotted Edward moving around, stirring in one pot and then tasting the sauce from another. He must have heard us because he turned toward me. "You're making dinner," I stated.

"I'm making dinner," he repeated, grinning.

We stared at each other until Lilly grabbed my face in between her hands. The kid looked serious before she spoke. "Give him a thank you kiss, Mama," she ordered.

"Hmm, a thank you kiss, you say?"

I walked us over until we were standing in front of Edward. He smiled warmly, waiting for his thank you kiss. I crooked my finger at him and he leaned down. Lilly was watching us like a little hawk. I met his lips with mine for a brief kiss and, as I pulled away, I noticed how excited Lilly looked. Did four-year-olds really grasp the whole relationship thing? She'd obviously set that up and the end result made her look so damned hopeful.

"That was a good kiss!" she praised.

Edward shook his head, holding his arms out to her. She let him take her and cuddled into him. He was really great with her, making me optimistic for us all. He was such a good man and I'd be stupid if I didn't date him.

"You brought her home," I sighed.

"We'll talk later," he assured me, nodding his head down at a very aware Lilly.

"What's for dinner?"

"Spaghetti."

"Is it edible?"

"Is it edible!" he scoffed. "I happen to be an excellent chef!"

Lilly quietly watched us. I knew she was getting tired and needed to be fed. Edward sat her down on the stool at the island. I moved beside her to watch him.

"Your mom taught you how to cook, didn't she?"

"She didn't want me going off to New York starving so she invested her time during my senior year and taught me how to cook."

"I can definitely see your mom doing that."

"Mama, you dropped a box when you hugged me," Lilly informed me.

Shit, the cupcakes!

I walked back to the mudroom and picked up the pastry box. I opened it, internally thanking Mrs. Newton for putting the cupcakes in a holder.

"Something good?"

"C-U-P-C-A-K-E-S," I spelled out.

"Ahh, I see."

"What's in there?" Lilly asked, trying to sneak a peek.

"A surprise for later, but first you have to eat what Edward made for us," I warned her, as she nodded.

Throughout our dinner, I watched Edward help Lilly with her food. She couldn't pick up her _'ghetti_ properly, so he made a show of twirling it up on her fork.

"So, what did you do with Daddy yesterday?" I asked her.

"Read a story."

Edward's eyes met mine and I saw the frown on his face. "What else did you do, baby?" I encouraged her to give me more.

"Just read my nighty-night story, Daddy had school."

I felt the rage start to brew in me. He'd only been with her to read her a bedtime story. What was the point of our custody agreement if he wasn't spending any time with her? I missed her every second she was away from me. _He_ had taken her away from me.

I stayed quiet as we finished dinner. Edward argued with me when I started cleaning everything up. He told me to get Lilly ready for bed. I glanced at the clock, noticing it was eight, and sighed.

She didn't want to read, she just wanted to snuggle. It took fifteen minutes for her eyes to close and I knew she was really tired. Edward was leaning against the wall and I suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.

"Let's go to my room," I suggested, linking his fingers with mine.

I led him to my bed, where he took a seat at the end. I moved forward so I was standing between his legs, his arms hanging loosely around my waist.

"_You_ brought Lilly home," I whispered.

"I did because I don't see the point of her being away from you if Jasper is always dumping her off on my parents."

I dipped my head down and gave him a kiss. As we stayed connected, he adjusted me so I was sitting on his lap.

"I don't think he cares," I confessed, looking down.

"Then _he's_ the asshole for not wanting to spend time with his child. Lilly is loved, Bella. She's a happy little girl because of the family you've given her; Rose and Emmett…your father."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I might have been introduced to him when we were out buying groceries for dinner."

"Leah was with him." It finally dawned on me what her text had meant.

"She was," he smiled sheepishly. "Kind of jaded, that one."

I snorted against his cheek. "Her baby-daddy cheated on her with her own cousin. The towns of Forks and La Push are now like a war zone."

"How so?"

"Leah's a Quileute and was raised on the La Push reservation. She was in college when her mom married my dad. Their tribe frowned upon the marriage, but my dad grew up with their now-Chief and he gave them his full support. The rest of Leah's mother's family shunned them. Leah had been dating Sam since high school, his father was an elder. He'd said he didn't care. From what I heard, Emily conned him into believing that if he married Leah, he wouldn't be on the council."

"So, he cheated on her?" Edward asked in disbelief.

"Emily's father holds a lot of power in La Push. Sam's an idiot, though, because since all of this happened, he's been banned from the council by Billy Black, the Chief, and my dad's bestie."

"What will happen, then, for Leah?"

"Her child's birthright will be held until it reaches the age of eighteen."

"Wow."

"The moral of that story is not to mess with Charlie Swan and Billy Black," I said, giving him a wink.

"Your dad does come off as intimidating."

"He tries to. It's a respect thing with him. He hates Jasper," I shared, looking down again.

"What are you going to do Bella?" he asked, cupping my cheek.

"I'm going to have to talk to him. Maybe just keep Lilly here while he's in school," I sighed. "I'm getting so tired of arguing with him."

"The situation you're in isn't fair to Lilly, or you either."

I laid my head on his shoulder. This was him trying to support me. He cared for us and I could see it in his eyes and in his actions. I sat up a little, tugging at his t-shirt.

"What are we doing?" he mumbled against my lips.

"Sex," I breathed out.

He pulled away, looking at me. "I haven't taken you out," he argued weakly.

"You fucking made us dinner and performed the grandest of gestures… you _will_ be rewarded by me riding you," I told him matter-of-factly.

Edward was trying to hide his smile, but I knew he liked everything that had just come out of my mouth. The fact that I tore my own shirt over my head and unsnapped my bra off showed him I didn't much care for his protests.

"Pants off!" I ordered as I shimmied out of mine. "Scoot back!"

He obeyed, moving back to sit against my headboard. We were both naked and I reached inside my drawer for the new condoms I'd purchased two days ago just in case.

"Can I tell you how hot you are right now?" he groaned out, as I rolled the condom onto him.

I straddled him, throwing my hair over my shoulder as I slowly sunk down on him. His hands went straight to my hips, trailing up to cup my boobs. "God, Edward," I moaned.

He brought his hands back down to my hips, guiding me as I bounced on top of him. I felt a smidgen of self-consciousness. In the moment, I was trying to be sexy for him, but it was only my third time doing this.

"You're perfect," he said into my mouth.

Kissing me deeply and moving inside me at the same time, I was having a hard time concentrating and things were becoming blurred.

"More!" was all I could get out while my palms slapped down on his shoulders.

He moved my hips faster which brought me down on him harder. It felt good. Then, suddenly, I felt him rubbing at my clit.

I. Was. A. Goner!

"Jesus Christ!" I cried out after a few minutes.

I slumped forward and felt him coming too. It was blissful and overwhelming, all at the same time. His hands started rubbing my back.

"I like those kinds of rewards!" He chuffed out a laugh.

"I bet you do," I breathed.

About a minute later, he slid out of me and I rolled over onto my side. His arms were around me instantly.

"Be my girl?"

"Your girl?" I asked, turning in his arms.

"I could be very high school and say _girlfriend_, but you would taunt me."

"Good observation, because I definitely would," I said, giving him a decisive nod.

"It's been almost a month and I want you to know I'm committed to this."

I cupped his face in my hands before giving him a peck on his perfect Edward lips. "Is this real life?"

"I'd like to think so," he said, kissing me back.

"I'll be your girl as long as you're my guy."

"_Definitely_ your guy."

"Gee, my very own pediatric surgeon slash retired former rocker!"

He kissed me stupid after that. We took turns using the bathroom and threw some clothes on. Well, I put on underwear and a t-shirt and he slipped his boxers back on. After cuddling and watching some TV, I felt my eyes drooping.

"Shh, your mom is sleeping."

"You're sleeping too?" Lilly asked.

I felt Edward shift as he let her up into my bed. I opened one eye, watching her snuggling into him. He brushed her curls out of her face.

"You and Mama had a sleepover?"

"Yeah," he said, still half-asleep.

"Do you love her?" Lil whispered.

"Yeah," he said back, his breathing slowing and telling me he'd fallen back asleep.

I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the stupid emotion that was trying to overtake me. "Mama, you awake?" Lilly asked, climbing half onto me.

"Nope."

She giggled as her weight pressed into me. "Edward's like Ali," she said. I knew she understood it now.

If the kid was that quick at four, I was going to be in a hell a lot of trouble when she got older.

"He is," I answered.

"He's your prince, Mama."

"Hmm," I agreed.

**A/N: I survived my stomach virus! Thanks to all of you and your kind words! I think these two are getting somewhere, don't you? As always this chapter was beta'd by ****Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598. Their suggestions and edits make this more readable!  
**

**P.S.: Yes, I used "cunt-punt" in the beginning of this. While I was writing this I read that crazy sorority girl e-mail that went viral. She referenced that word and I died! Literally laughed a good 15 minutes. I suggest you Google it! NOW! **


	10. Chapter 10

**BPOV**

"You're beautiful," he murmured into my ear.

"I'm wearing a t-shirt and sweats," I said dryly, as I leaned into him.

Edward and I had been seeing each other exclusively for the last few weeks and it felt organic, raw. We were exposed. There had also been some drama that we were expecting, though.

_Emmett came strolling in through the back door before pausing. I was sitting at the table with Lilly while Edward was making pancakes._

"_Hello, all!" Emmett boomed._

"_Hey, Uncle Emmie!" Lilly giggled, leaning forward on the table._

"_So, did this guy tell you I kicked his a-s-s on the golf course yesterday?"_

_Edward snorted, but shook his head and remained quiet as he flipped over a pancake._

"_I think Edward wins for being humble," I argued._

_We sat and I let Emmett tease us. He looked genuinely happy with our situation. Then, we heard my front door slam. Edward turned off the stove and moved toward the door before I stopped him. "I have this," I told him._

_Jasper was moving toward the kitchen, but stopped when he noticed me. He charged over to me, getting in my face. "You have some fucking nerve!" he growled._

"_**I **__have some nerve?" I questioned, pushing him away._

_He stepped forward again. "The weekends are mine!"_

"_The weekends are yours, but the fact that other people spend that time with our child and you don't is where I have a problem," I said._

"_So, you spread your legs for Alice's brother and he breaks our custody agreement?" Jasper spits out nastily._

_I saw red as I shoved him. I felt Edward's arms wrapping around me, pulling me into him. He towered over me, holding me close._

"_You will __**not**__ speak to her like that! Your daughter is behind that door trying to see what's going on. If you want to be her father, act like it! Belittling and yelling at her mother will only turn her against you," he said, low and calm._

_Emmett came out from behind the door, glaring at Jasper, but remained cordial. "Hey, man, don't try to start anything!"_

"_This was my weekend with Lilly!" he gritted out._

"_Where __**were**__ you, Jazz?" Em asked. "Rose called you and you were at school. Lilly was at the Cullens. Is that right to do to Bell or Lilly?"_

"_I have a thesis paper…"_

"_Yeah, we get that, but while you're at school, it's only fair Lilly stays at home. Esme isn't a daycare service for you to be sending your kid to. She has a mother at home missing her," Emmett said, stepping so he was in front of Edward and me._

"_But then I won't get to see her," he argued._

"_Jasper, you don't see her __**now**__!" I pointed out. "I went through college and raised a baby. If I can balance, you should be also be able to. Lilly is our number one priority," I said._

"_She was a mistake!" he snapped out._

_His blue eyes widened at the realization of what he'd just said. I felt Edward's body stiffen and his intake of breath._

"_I didn't…" Jazz choked out. "Bella!"_

_He was pleading with me. I shook my head in disbelief because not once had he ever said he regretted her. Now, he spoke out. Emmett grabbed his bicep, dragging him to the door. Em was usually the peacemaker, but he now looked livid. Jasper struggled to remain in the house, but Emmett caused him to stumble outside._

_I blinked my eyes, feeling the tears. It was Edward who crouched down so we were eye-to-eye. "Bella, talk to me," he said softly._

"_I love her and can't even imagine being away from her for one hour, let alone the weekend. When she leaves, it guts me…how can he not feel that?" I asked wiping at my cheeks._

"_Mama?" Lilly asked quietly as her little head peeked out._

_I kneeled down, holding my arms out to her. She ran into them, clinging to me. "Daddy was yelling," she whispered._

"_He missed you this morning," I lied._

"_Maybe he wanted to read me a nighty-night story," she said, optimistically._

_Edward's fingers brushed my hair over my shoulder as he kneeled beside us. "I think you're right. I know I would miss reading you a story."_

"_I do listen good," she said, giving him a beaming smile._

I would like to say things got easier, but I'd be lying. A lot had changed as well. Edward's and my family now knew we were dating. My dad was skeptical of me dating. I think it was weird to him because I never really dated before. Edward's family had been supportive, even Alice. I hadn't seen Jasper since the explosion at my house, but Alice had been by. She wouldn't bring him up and neither would I.

"The moms will drool over you," I teased. squeezing his hand that was linked with mine.

"You think?"

"_I _drool over you," I said. giving him shrug.

"That's funny, I drool over you. too," he said, kissing my head.

Today, he was going with me to pick up Lilly. We were going out to dinner tonight and he got off work around noon. We had a little afternoon delight and then showered. I opted to put my bum clothes on now, but all Edward had was his black slacks and navy oxford that he'd arrived in. He looked sinful.

The mothers were waiting in their usual spot by the doors for the kids to come out. I noticed Jane, Irina's mother, eyeing us. She was spiteful. An older woman in her late thirties, she had three other children. Jane frowned upon my lifestyle as a young single mother who'd had her child out of wedlock. Angela had pointed her out to me, explaining her self-righteous ways at the Weber's church.

"Bella," Victoria the queen gossiper smiled as she greeted me.

"Victoria," I responded curtly.

"I'm sorry, but we've never seen you around here…" she said, addressing Edward.

"Edward," he said, introducing himself.

Victoria had graduated from Forks when I was a freshman. She married James Hunter when they were in college. He was a CPA and she was a paralegal. Her boobs were fake and she was always inadvertently in everyone's business. She didn't care about our lives, she just had a way for her audience who did to be present to overhear.

"Nice to meet Bella's…"

"Boyfriend," Edward clarified, arching a brow at the bitch.

A few of the moms gaped as Edward's arm wrapped around my shoulder. His hand hung relaxed. I looked up at him as he smiled down at me.

"Good for you, Bella," Vic said condescendingly. "So, are you from around here, Edward?"

"Seattle."

"Oh, what do you do in Seattle?" One of the other mothers spoke up.

She was Kebi, Benji's mother. She was a portly woman, another who frowned upon me. Unlike Jane, her dislike was more from her culture than from religious beliefs. Women from her country were stoned for having bastard children.

"I'm a pediatric surgeon," he said.

At that moment, the doors opened and hundreds of little feet hit the stairs. It was a perfect end to the inquisition. Lilly saw us and barreled down the stairs. Edward was quick to catch her while she jumped at him.

"You're at my school!" she grinned.

"Had to see one of my favorite girls!"

"Mama's your other favorite, right?"

"She is," he said, with a laugh.

Edward held my hand as he carried Lilly to his car. The other mothers were watching and I knew that maybe I should have Rose or Em pick her up for a few days so they would leave me alone. My dad had always just dropped me off or waited in the car when he he'd come to pick me up. I now get why he did it that way. Charlie Swan was a very smart man.

* * *

"She hasn't mentioned Jasper?" Rose asked from the edge of my bed, as I shimmied my dress up my legs.

"No, you'd think she'd notice that she hasn't seen him for a few weeks," I sighed. "Zip me."

"Jasper got a lawyer's number from Mom," she informed me.

"If we need to go to court, then so be it," I sighed.

"I ripped him a new one for what he said to you."

"I thought Em was going to murder him and don't even get me started on Edward. He was gutted."

Rose stared at me before smiling. "He's a good man."

"He really is," I said, as I felt my face flush.

"I've never seen you like this either."

"Like what?"

"All girly and gushy," she teased.

I sighed giving her a well-deserved glare. I couldn't really put into words what it was about Edward that changed me. I loved hanging out with him. He made me laugh and got along with my people. Most importantly, he cared for my daughter.

There was a light knock on my door, and then Edward peeked his head in. "Lilly wants to say good night," he murmured.

I nodded, seeing the pointed look Rose was giving me. Edward moved carefully into the room with my half-sleeping child. She was cuddled close to him, her fingers tiredly playing with the buttons of his shirt.

"Goodnight, Mama," she whispered, her head still lying on Edward's shoulder.

"Goodnight, baby," I said just as quietly, giving her a kiss.

"I'm going to read her a story," Edward offered.

"Okay, I'm finishing up."

He left with Lilly and Rose looked like she was about to burst or pee. "What?"

"That right there," she pointed at the door. "He is soooo in love with you two."

"What if this doesn't last?" I asked, voicing the question my rational logic kept asking me.

Rose stood up and hugged me tightly. "You need to trust fate. I honestly think you were meant to meet Edward."

I pulled back slightly, looking over at her skeptically. "What is wrong with you?" I asked cautiously.

"Uh, you're going to be an aunt!" she bellowed loudly.

"Oh, my God!"

Rose and Emmett were finally pregnant. I was excited for them and my future niece or nephew. Lilly would have a cousin to play with.

"How far along are you?"

"The doctor said almost fourteen weeks."

"That far already?"

"We found out a month ago and have just been waiting for the right time."

I lifted up her flowy top and saw the little pooch that replaced her normally toned stomach. I rubbed it and she giggled. "Hi, baby Em," I said.

"Baby Em? You think it's a boy?"

"No, I've always imagined you with girls. Emmett and little girls will be a riot."

"He's massive and always afraid he'll break Lilly," she confessed.

"God, can you see him holding a small little baby again? He had trouble with Lilly those couple of times I saw you guys after she was born."

We both sighed. It was a struggle for me having Lilly as young as I did, but I couldn't ever see me without her. She made me grow up and helped me become the person I am today. Now I have to guide her as she grows and I know I'll be proud of her.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked, coming back into my room.

"Yeah," I glared at him.

"Well, the tears kind of threw me off," he glared back playfully.

"Shut up!" I commanded.

"You see, I'm going to take her to a nice restaurant, spoil her and this is the treatment I get," he said, throwing his hands up.

"You see, I give him the privilege of my company and he's throwing my agreement back in my face," I mocked back, giving Rose one last squeeze.

"Get out of here, you crazies," Rose said brightly.

Edward chucked and grabbed my hand, before leading me downstairs. I realized that I hadn't put on any makeup, but he seemed not to care. He pecked my lips before grabbing our coats. Rose waved at us from the door as if she were a proud parent.

We ended up going to a restaurant on the docks near my bookstore. I'd never eaten there before, but had hung out at the bar with Rosalie. The view was ridiculous, even in the winter it was beautiful. We sat at a table by the floor-to-ceiling window and I took my puffy coat off. I literally hated that coat it made my hair stick to me.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Static," I grumbled.

He moved to brush my hair to the side for me, but received a static electric shock.

"I warned you," I pointed out to him.

He laughed, kissing me before he sat down close to me.

"I've never sat here before; usually, Rose and I stay in the front."

"The bar?"

"Yeah, there are a variety of bars here, but not so many where we come from. Emmett's dad owns a bar on the edge of town."

"He told me about that."

"Brady McCarty is from Ireland and he met Emmett's mom when she'd taken a year off to backpack through Europe. When she got back, she found out that Brady had given her a going away present. Lizzie contacted him and he was on the first flight here. The way they tell it always seems like a movie. They fell in love and Brady hasn't left since. He became a citizen. When Em was younger, Brady complained that there needed to be a proper pub in America."

"And McCarty's Pub is that establishment?"

"Exactly, you haven't had true bangers and mash until you've tasted the ones made by Em's dad."

"What's Emmett's mom do?"

"Lawyer."

"So your whole group's parents are part of the law?"

"Correct, my dad could arrest us, Rose's dad would prosecute us, and Em's mom should defend us."

"Scary."

"We were all on our best behavior, most of the time," I explained, giving him a grin.

"Hmm," he mused, giving me a disbelieving look.

"What about you, Mr. Pissing Saxons?"

"My dad busted me for pot when I was seventeen. That's when I started volunteering at the hospital," he said, leaning forward slightly.

"So, a punishment turned into a life choice?"

"It definitely influenced me."

"What was the Sudan like?"

"Rough," he sighed. "They don't have the resources that we do here. Every textbook answer goes out the window, everything is pure instinct."

"You saved people."

"And lost some…being a doctor is gratifying and haunting all at once. Some think they're God but in a second, something happens and it humanizes you," he said softly, but I heard his truth.

I spoke with this man, a man who'd been humbled by so many things. He'd seen how cruel the actual world could be and he stood to speak about it.

He told me about Zola and what had happened to her parents. He'd given that child a chance to live, but made it sound like there was no other option but to get her out.

**A/N: You guys really want to junk punch Jazz, huh? Tell me how you really feel! Huge thanks to my betas ****Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598 for their help!**


	11. Chapter 11

**EPOV**

"What time do you go in?" Bella asked, standing in front of her closet.

I sat against her headboard, watching her get ready for her day. She was wearing just a pair of panties, which was clearly distracting me.

"One."

"Doesn't your mom miss you?"

"Hmm?"

She turned her head, smirking. "See something you like?"

_I see someone I love._

"Are you really getting dressed or just standing there to tease me?" I asked, quirking a brow.

"I need to get to work, unfortunately," she sighed.

"Sounds dreadful."

"It is," she snorted. "We're getting in a shit-ton of Valentine's Day stuff."

"I wouldn't have pegged you as that type."

"Pegged me?"

"Pro-Valentine's Day."

"I'm Anti-Valentine's Day. It should just be a special day between lovers. I don't know, like an ultimate grand gesture. Anyone can buy candy and flowers and say I love you, you know?"

I _did_ know. That's why I prepared a surprise only fit for Bella. She'd either love it or piss her pants with laughter. To be honest, I was hoping for both. I'd been planning this for the past few weeks since I'd told her a little about myself.

The little knocks on the door started. I heaved myself out of bed, throwing on a t-shirt. Bella moved farther away from the door. I opened it, scooping Lilly into my arms.

"Good morning," she grinned.

"Good morning," I said, giving her head a kiss. "Want to help me make breakfast?"

"Uh-huh! Is mama still sleeping?"

"No, she's getting ready for work," I answered.

"Do I have to go to Daddy and Ali's?" she asked, her bottom lip trembling.

Jasper had called last week and said his schedule was cleared for this weekend and he wanted his daughter. It was a short call, which had left Bella tense. He didn't apologize for what he said or did the last time we'd all seen him, he just demanded that Lilly be ready.

For the first time in my life, I really questioned Alice's judgment. This was the man she loved and married. He was selfish. I didn't understand how anyone could view their child as a mistake. Bella loved her and would fight an army of a thousand soldiers for that little girl.

"He misses you, sweet girl," I told her.

"But I miss mama and you," she argued. "Daddy's mean and says he's always busy. I always hafta be quiet. I get bored being quiet and Ali gets grouchy, too."

That puts me on edge. "What does Ali do?"

"She needs quiet with her books. She leaves sometimes if daddy's there so she can read. Daddy always says, 'Lillybug, I need quiet'." She lets out a sigh, mimicking Jasper, running her hands through her hair. The kid was a parrot and, apparently, a mirror, too.

"Lil, your dad said he'll be with you all weekend. It'll be fun." I tried to encourage her.

Her little nose wrinkled, but she didn't argue. I was making pancakes, and Bella came downstairs dressed in jeans and my Columbia hoodie. The knock on the door caused Bella to stiffen.

"Lilly, let's get your stuff together, huh?" I offered, picking her up. "Stay in here and finish breakfast," I instructed, Bella kissing her head.

"I'm being a coward," she frowned.

"No, emotions were high the last time, everyone's still cooling off," I corrected her.

She snorted and gave Lilly a kiss goodbye. "Be good for Daddy and remember, if you don't feel happy, call me."

"I love you, Mama," Lilly pouted.

"I love you too, baby."

"I'll be back," I told Bella.

Opening the door, Jasper looked less than pleased to see Lilly holding onto me, and that I was the one greeting him.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" he muttered.

"Here's everything," I said, handing him Lilly's bag. Lilly clung to me and stared at her father.

"Uh, Bella's not here?"

"She's eating breakfast," I replied.

He shook his head, holding his arms out to his daughter. Lilly kissed my cheek and reluctantly went to Jasper. My heart hurt for her, but he was still her father. In some cases, it would be a good thing he was in her life; the only problem I have is that he's negligent with her.

He didn't say anything else when he left. Lilly stared at me over his shoulder, waving sadly.

"I don't want her going with him," Bella grumbled from behind me.

I turned, pulling her into my arms. "I know," I murmured against her head.

"I was raised by my dad, and even though he's awkward with his emotions, I always felt loved, you know?" she rambled. "I can't fathom why he's a fucking robot."

"Has he always been like that?"

"No, when we were younger, we were better friends than Rose and I were. Then, when my boobs came in, it was like he distanced himself. We still hung out, but it was different. He also started smoking weed and it wasn't ideal that I became a stoner too," she explained with a huff.

I nodded, rocking her slightly.

"I'm done," she mumbled.

"I know you are," I said.

I pulled back, seeing her tears, my hands cupping her face. "All of this will get better," I told her confidently.

"Promise?" she sniffled.

"I promise."

"I…" she paused as her eyes burned into mine. Instead of finishing her thought, she stood on tiptoe, kissing me.

"You okay?" I asked, squeezing her to me.

"Mm hmm, better," she whispered. "I'll see you in a few days, right?"

"I'm on call, but I'm off on Wednesday and Thursday," I informed her.

"All right," she said, nodding. "I have to go in now."

"Call me."

She left, giving me one more kiss. I went up and took a shower, then got dressed. As I was grabbing my bag to leave, Em came in through the back door.

"I was hoping to catch you," he grinned brightly.

"Okay?"

"Rose told me about your little V-day surprise."

"What's the verdict?" I asked curiously.

"She's going to piss herself," he snorted. "I mean, you're ballsy. I could never make an ass out of myself."

"She told me Valentine's Day should be a grand gesture. That's what I want to give her," I explained.

He stared at me before smiling. "You love our girl, huh? You really don't need to answer that because Rose and I can see it. My Rosie said she's happy Bella found you. I've never heard my wife talk about fate before - she's normally a cynic - but you've given her hope that Bella and Lilly have finally found their home. She's convinced you're going to spend the rest of your life making them happy."

I let out a breath. "I'm just waiting for Bella to say the words. I have a hunch that if _I _say them, she might run. I've been trying my best to be her rock. I want her to lean on me, but you know better than anyone how independent she is."

He studied me, looking very thoughtful, before he enlightened me. "I guarantee she'll say 'I love you' first after she sees the Dr. Rockstar performance."

I laughed, shaking my head.

* * *

My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Dr. Cullen," I answered.

"Cullen, it's Yorkie."

"Hey, man."

"My wife says she has to come to the show," he sighed. "Says she has to get this on tape."

"Okay," I said slowly.

Eric and I grew up together; other than being a fucking genius bassist, he was also this brilliant litigator. When we were sixteen, we thought we were rock gods. It was ridiculous and I was reawakening the past just to see the smile of my beautiful girl.

"So, are you marrying this girl, man?"

"No, not yet, but someday, maybe…"

"I get it; you're trying to impress her."

"Not impress her, make her laugh."

"Make her laugh…our music isn't a comedy act," he hissed.

I wanted to laugh at him because we sung songs titled _You're My Wench_ and _Savages Pillage_. Yorkie was still clearly delusional. We'd been a bunch of asshole kids.

"Calm down, man. Use that unnecessary anger for the courtroom," I said smoothly.

"Fuck you, Cullen…and see you tomorrow!"

I leaned against the wall, wondering how this whole thing for my girl would pan out. After a few minutes of searching for clarity, I took off to go over three of my post-ops before heading to Port Angeles.

I'd be staying at Bella's and then, somehow, find a way to slip out with Emmett tomorrow afternoon. Rosalie was going to keep her busy until she had to leave for her store. Bella usually had two open mic nights a week for local musicians to showcase their talents. That was my opportunity. Angela knew we were coming in before Bella so we could set up.

When I walked through the garage door, I was assaulted by a little body launching itself at me. Holding Lilly close, I peppered her face with kisses. While I was at work over the weekend, Alice had called me, asking questions. Lilly had been acting out her whole stay at Jasper and Alice's apartment. She compared everything to Bella's house and sassed both her father and Al. Jasper told Bella he'd let her know when his schedule was clear again. I had a feeling Lilly showed Jasper that raising a small child involved a lot of time and effort. Something he needed in order to keep a relationship with his daughter.

"I missed you soooooo much!" she said, placing both her hands on my cheeks.

"I missed you, too."

"Did ya help lots of kids?"

"I did," I nodded.

I had one loss in the two days I was there and on call. A little boy around Lilly's age was brought in…we couldn't save him, he'd lost too much blood from a car accident. I'd called Bella right after we called the time of death. She wanted to drive all the way out to Seattle. She wanted to save me, be _my_ hero.

I hugged Lilly closer as we made our way into the living room. Bella was snuggled up on the couch, and I leaned down to kiss her head.

"Hey," I murmured.

"You okay?" she asked right off the bat.

"I am now," I assured her.

"You're such a Prince," Lilly sighed dreamily.

Bella rolled her eyes, taking Lilly into her arms. "Prince Edward…I like that," she smirked, giving me a wink.

"You just wait," I warned playfully.

"What did you do?"

I shook my head, giving her a quick kiss. "I missed you."

"Yeah? Me too," she whispered.

Lilly giggled. We lounged around on the couch until Bella got up to make me some dinner. After I ate, Lilly started dozing off.

"You're up to something, Cullen," Bella said, sliding under the sheets.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Swan," I taunted.

"I'm not a surprise kind of girl. I had a great aunt who turned ninety and we gave her a surprise party…goner."

"Liar," I accused with a straight face, pulling her into me.

"Okay, she may or may not still be alive."

"Not nice to joke like that."

She paused, looking cautiously at me. "How bad was it?"

"Pretty bad, a semi crashed into the mother's car."

Bella blinked before shaking her head. "I couldn't do what you do all day," she sighed. "You see so much pain."

"We do help heal," I told her. "There are successes, and that's what makes it worthwhile at the end of the day."

She kissed me deeply and I felt as if I couldn't hold back with her any longer.

She was the love of my life.

**A/N: Not gonna lie, I've been binge watching Scandal's past two seasons and every time Fitz said Olivia was the love of his life I melted. **

**Okay, next chap will be v-day and we'll have a short time skip. Also I have a story idea and it's first chapter is almost done. I would love your feedback. Let me hear it now too! Thanks for reading and reviewing! **

**Another huge thanks to ****Mauigirl60 and Dolphin62598 for all their beta help!**


	12. Chapter 12

**BPOV**

Something was definitely up. I could feel it in my bones. Edward was amazing when he got here last night and Lilly was behaving. She was being an absolute angel, which was normal, but Jasper had painted her as demon spawn when he dropped her off.

"You're wearing that?" Rose asked with a frown.

I glanced down at my black sweater and skinny jeans. My hair was in a topknot. "I'm going to work," I said defensively. "And another thing, your husband took my boyfriend away on Valentine's Day."

It was true. Rose and Em always celebrated Valentine's Day the weekend of the day. Their work schedules were too crazy, but tonight Em took Edward to his dad's pub.

"You don't like it anyways," she argued.

"I never really had anyone to celebrate it with," I defended with a shrug.

Rose stood, her little belly evident through her tight gray t-shirt. "You love Edward," she stated with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bag. "If Lilly wakes up, tell her we'll be home later."

"Hmm, this is his home now," she mused.

"I'm going," I called, going into the garage.

When I pulled up to the curb a few stores down from mine, I noticed how packed downtown Port Angeles was. My store was dimly lit like it usually was at night. We had open mic night, which meant we would be open until one tonight.

I entered the store, and headed to my office so I could drop my stuff at my desk. When I came out, Emmett was sitting on a stool at the café bar holding a beer bottle. I blinked at him, confused as to why his ass was sitting in my store, giving me a big goofy grin.

While I stood staring at my dopey friend, a silky, gritty voice surrounded me. The eerily low tempo from the drums and Edward's quiet strums on his guitar, gave me chills. Edward was up on stage with three other guys. He didn't look like my put-together boyfriend at all - tattered jeans were worn and faded, and the red flannel he had over his thermal had holes in it. Don't even get me started on the Docs he was wearing.

He was looking at me, belting out something about being a savage and pillaging a village. Their haunted sound was channeling Nirvana and Edward was their Kurt Cobain. I felt the squeal and manic giggles rip out of me as I started bouncing. It wasn't attractive, but he was giving this to me. His teenage angst was mine for the taking right now. Most guys would say fuck off if they were in their thirties and some hot shot doctor. Not my hot shot doctor - he embraced embarrassment and took one for the team. As they played a set of three songs and I stood next to Emmett holding his shoulder as I tried to stay put, but as soon as Edward put that guitar down I took off.

I rushed him, wrapping my legs around him. He leaned his forehead against mine and smirked at me.

"That was The Pissing Saxons," I whispered.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he murmured, capturing my lips with his.

I pulled back after kissing the everloving shit out of him. The store was packed, but people were waiting for the next set and not paying attention to us. I moved my head down to his ear and told him exactly how I was feeling in this moment.

"I'm absolutely sure . . . I love you," I whispered in his ear.

I saw Esme and Carlisle sitting at one of the tables by the window, but this was our private moment. I had almost told Edward a few times that I loved him, but something kept holding me back. This...this was right.

"I love you too, Bella," he whispered back, giving me a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth before walking us over to the counter where Emmett sat.

Edward sat me on the stool beside Em, but stayed standing between my legs. He cupped my neck, asking Angela for two Blue Moons.

"I'm gonna start calling you the Rockin' Doc," Em announced.

Edward glared at Emmert, but I gained his attention by patting his face. "He's just jealous because he has no talent, babe," I assured him as I moved close to his ear. "You're most definitely getting laid tonight."

"Am I?" he asked, giving me this brilliant grin I hadn't seen before.

"Mm hmm," I hummed, giving him a quick peck.

"Ed, man, it's been real," this short Asian man said, coming up behind Edward.

"It has, Yorkie," he chuckled lazily. "Yorkie, this is my girl, Bella. Bella, this is Eric Yorkie, a founding member of The Pissing Saxons."

"Nice to meet you, "Eric responded, warmly. "This is my wife, Brianna." He introduced me to the leggy blonde attached to his side.

She was like a supermodel in a little black dress, while her husband was a hipster with his slouchy knit cap, jeans that bordered on skinny and a gray t-shirt.

"Great to meet you both," I said, leaning into Edward's side.

"Bella, I got to thank you. You got him to finally agree to a reunion performance," Yorkie said with a laugh.

"He knew I was interested in your band," I explained.

"We're pretty kickass," Yorkie all but gushed.

"I videoed the whole thing, I can send it to you," Brianna offered.

"I definitely want that," I told her.

They complimented me on my store and I learned Eric was a lawyer in Seattle and his wife worked on various charity committees. We said our goodbyes after a few minutes of talking and Eric and Brianna departed into the chilly night to finish off their Valentine's Day plans at a restaurant in Seattle.

"He's just living the rock star dream," Emmett joked once they left.

"Yorkie takes The Pissing Saxons seriously," Edward sighed.

I giggled with a snort and Edward leaned down to kiss the side of my head. I wrapped my arms around him, giving him a squeeze. Esme and Carlisle made their way through the crowded room to us. Esme's beaming smile said enough - she supported our relationship and I could see how happy she was for us.

"Well son, I didn't know you guys sounded like that," Carlisle grinned.

"He needs to audition for The Voice or something," I teased, looking up at Edward.

"That good, huh?" Edward smirked.

"Now he's going to reconsider his whole medical career," Esme said with a laugh.

"The singing doctor could be my gimmick," he mused.

I playfully smacked his chest and his hand held mine there. We were grinning at each other and in that moment, we got lost. Lately it had been easy to get lost with Edward.

"Your mother and I have a date down the street," I heard Carlisle say.

"You guys can stay at my house tonight if you'd like," I offered. "It's already late."

"Are you sure?" Esme asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely."

I felt Edward squeeze me when his parents accepted. They said they would text us when they were headed back to my house.

"You didn't have to do that," Edward murmured. He turned to face me, standing between my legs.

"They're your parents and the drive to Seattle is over an hour. They obviously made a special trip down here for this."

"My mom couldn't believe we were performing. She wanted to see your reaction as well."

I waited a few moments to gather my thoughts before I spoke. "I really like your parents, Edward, and I'm thankful for how warm your mother has been to me," I told him honestly.

Edward ran his knuckles down my cheek and then cupped the back of my head, gently running his fingers through the curls that had escaped from my topknot during the evening.

"She loves you, you know?" he murmured, leaning towards me and pressing his forehead to mine.

I let out a breath and nodded.

We finished our drinks with Em before Angela shooed us out to enjoy the rest of our Valentine's Day. Emmett made it back to my house before we did and was dragging Rose out as we entered in through my garage.

"I knew something was up when Rosalie was questioning what I was wearing," I said, shaking my head.

"That's ridiculous, you look gorgeous tonight," he said, cupping my cheek.

"Sometimes I think you're a dream," I sighed.

"I'm right here, babe, and I'm very real." Edward's words made my heart skip a beat.

He leaned down, kissing me until my landline started ringing. "Ugh," I groaned, pulling out of his hold.

"Hello?"

"Bells, Leah's having the baby," Dad breathed out.

"God, okay… I'll be right there."

"She's at Port Angeles."

"I'm on my way. Bye," I said to Dad before turning back toward Edward. "Leah is in labor."

"I can stay with Lilly."

"I want you to go with me."[*]

I didn't want to be the buffer for the Swan/Clearwater household and if I got bored I would have Edward with me, not to mention we had said I love you for the first time tonight. I wasn't going to have him sleep in my bed alone.

"Since my parents are staying tonight, I can talk with them… ask them to watch her?"

"I can't ask that of them," I said, chewing on my lip.

"They'd do anything for you, Bella," he soothed.

I puffed out a breath and agreed to let Edward's parents watch Lilly. After he texted them, they were here within fifteen minutes.

"Bella, please don't worry. We're happy to watch Lilly anytime," Esme said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

"Okay," I nodded. "Thank you."

Edward's arms wrapped around me and he guided us out to his car. "I have a feeling tonight will not be boring," I told him.

"Leah shouldn't be stressed," Edward frowned.

I knew that, but with all the La Push drama going down or at least from what Dad had been telling me, I knew that Leah was feeling anxious about the birth.

"I bet you ten bucks, Jacob Black will be there," I told him holding my hand out. Jacob had been inserting himself into Leah's life. She had been a bitch to him, but he knew she was hurting. Even though he was a few years younger than her, he grew up worshiping Leah Clearwater. He'd seen her at her worst and her best. He hated Sam Uley for many reasons, but the biggest one being he abandoned Leah and their son.

"I don't know Jacob Black so I'm not betting you ten bucks," he said with a laugh.

I glared at him before adding, "You're a doctor. You can afford it."

Edward shook his head and winked as I huffed. The roads were clear and the drive to the hospital didn't take long. Once Edward pulled into the lot and parked, I noticed Sam a few spots down, getting out of his truck with Emily.

"That piece of shit," I growled through gritted teeth.

"Babe?" Edward asked, as he opened his door to get out.

I hurried, opening my door. Before Edward could stop me, I ran up to Sam like a crazy person.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I hollered.

Sam spun around glaring at me. "My kid is about to be born," he snapped. "That bitch should be with the midwife in La Push!"

Sam Uley was huge; most of the guys on the Reservation were. He was about six four, not much taller than Edward, but his mass made him scary. Emily stayed behind him and I caught the bruises on her face and stitches near her eyebrow going down to her cheek.

Edward had caught up to us, wrapping his arm around me to pull me behind him. I didn't realize how in my face Sam had been.

"Is there a problem here?" Edward asked calmly.

"You pale faces are my problem," Sam growled.

"Yeah, that's not racist or anything," I said with a snort. "You shouldn't be here, Sam. Sue didn't want you anywhere near Leah. How did you even find out?"

He wouldn't answer me, but his anger and general hostility radiated off him. I looked to my right near the hospital entrance, to see Jacob Black emerge through the automatic doors.

"You followed Jake from La Push, didn't you?" I accused, my voice rising shrilly.

I got my answer as Sam moved closer. Edward was faster than Sam as he stepped directly in his path.

"What's going on, guys?" Jake asked standing beside Edward.

"You shouldn't be here, Black," Sam said, menacingly.

"Leah doesn't want you here, Sam," Jake told him, standing at his full height, which was about two inches taller than Sam.

"It's my child."

"You forfeited those rights in front of the council."

"I changed my mind," he roared.

Two security guards walked over to stop Sam's grand production. "Is there a problem here, Dr. Cullen?" the shorter security guard asked.

"Mr. Uley needs to be escorted off the premises," Edward told them, again using his calm tone.

"You have to be fucking kidding me!" Sam spat.

"I'm a consulting physician at this hospital and your behavior is not acceptable for the staff and patients to bare witness to," Edward explained smoothly.

"I'm not going anywhere," he growled.

"Sir, we have already contacted the police," the other security guard informed Sam.

Jacob took my hand and pulled me away as Edward stayed to talk with the authorities. "Leah's been asking for you," he told me warily.

"Me?" I asked in confusion. "Jake, I've known you forever. When has Leah ever liked me, let alone asked me to be in the same room as her?"

"She said her mom was annoying her and you've delivered a child more recently than Sue," he explained.

_And alone._ Leah was basically in the same position I was almost five years ago. Though Jasper was there after Lilly's birth, he wasn't the one to hold her or cut the cord after I pushed her into this world.

"Let's go," I said with a sigh.

"What about Dr. Cullen?" Jake asked curiously.

"He'll find me," I said with certainty.

No matter where I went, I had a feeling Edward would always know where to find me.

**A/N: Sorry this is beyond late. This chapter got a little off track, but I feel like it's back to where I wanted it!**

**I also wanted to introduce my new beta Astro2009. Her suggestions and advice helped extremely for this chapter! Dolphin62598 also deserves a huge thanks for her beta'ing and being a constant supporter. Moving forward Dolphin62598 andAstro2009 will be my betas on board.**


	13. Chapter 13

**BPOV**

"I want Sam!" Leah belted out as I entered the room.

Pushing the hair out of Leah's face, Sue tried to soothe her daughter. Leah brought her hand up, smacking her mother's away. I slowly started to back out of the room. If they didn't see me then I wasn't here.

"Bella," Leah breathed out.

"Uh... yeah?" I said, stepping back in the room and shutting the door behind me.

"Mom, leave," she ordered.

"Leah, I'm not leaving," Sue sighed in protest.

"Besides, I need a witness," I mumbled under my breath.

I walked forward, to stand beside Leah, across from Sue. Leah grabbed my hand and squeezed it as another contraction hit. Her dark brown eyes were filled with fear. This was Leah asking me for help. I was staying.

"I need Sam," she said.

I looked over at Sue. She shook her head and I knew that she was aware of what happened in the parking lot. Her phone was in her hand. If I had to guess, I'd say that Jacob had texted her.

"Leah," Sue started, but I shook my head.

"Can you go get some ice chips?" I asked Sue, hoping she would take my hint.

She nodded, giving me a grateful smile.

"Sam isn't coming," Leah said after her mother left the room.

"After what he did to you, why would you want him here?" I asked honestly. When she didn't answer I tried another approach. "Say Sam showed up… would you be destroyed if Emily was with him?"

Tears streamed down her face after that question. "I'm alone," she cried.

"You're not alone," I told her, wiping her tears away. "Your mom's here, I'm here and you have a waiting room filled with people."

"Jacob's here," she whispered.

"He most certainly is," I said with a nod.

She rested her hand on her stomach. I could see the war she had within herself. Dad had told me how much time Jake had been spending at the house, not to mention the nursery he practically built for her son.

I'd known Jacob Black my whole life. He was a gentle giant. Even with the conflict he just had with Sam, Jake believed violence was never the solution. His grandfather, Ephraim Black, had been the Chief on the reservation until his death and now Jake's father, Billy held the privileged title that was his birthright.

Billy had met his wife Sarah when her car broke down five miles away from the La Push border. Sarah was an artist from California driving through from her aunt's house in Seattle. Dad told me things here and there, but didn't tell me in depth about their whirlwind courtship. Much like with Sue, the Quileutes frowned upon marrying outsiders from their tribe. Unfortunately, Sarah and Billy's time had been cut short. A car had hit them head on. Sarah had been eight months pregnant. Billy not only lost his wife, but also his ability to walk that night. Jacob had been delivered at the scene of the accident shortly before his mother passed.

Charlie honestly believed it was Jake who saved Billy's life. He gave his father a purpose. We were only a few months apart; Jacob was the oldest. I guess the surprising part was my mom took care of him along with me. Dad had told us we would sleep side by side in my crib and when apart we had separation anxiety. When Renee left, it was Sue who had become our mother.

Jacob was only half Quileute, but his grandfather still looked upon him as his own flesh and blood. That was another reason Leah's son would still have his rightful seat on the council. Billy would not discriminate against her because she lived off the reservation or in my father's home.

"I want to thank you for coming," she said quietly.

"I was on my way the moment Dad told me."

"Bella, I wasn't here when Lilly was born," she started looking down.

She had been in La Push judging me and my decisions. She loved Lilly, but according to her, I'd done something to shame her in front of Sam and the rest of the Quileutes.

"When you look at your son, nothing else with matter. He will be your number one priority," I told her because she needed to see how important this day was for her.

She nodded and squeezed my hand as another contraction hit. I glanced back at the door and saw Jake's concerned face through the window.

"How many people are you allowed in here?"

"The nurse said three," she breathed out as her contraction passed.

"Me, your mom and…"

"Jacob," she murmured.

And that's how the next three hours were spent. I sat in the chair when she started pushing and Jake and Sue stayed up by her head as she pushed. The doctor asked if Jake wanted to cut the cord. As Jake looked down at Leah for permission, she raised her hand, tiredly cupping his cheek, and nodded in approval. I knew right then that Jacob wouldn't miss a moment with either of them.

I walked down the hall to the waiting room and saw Billy watching my dad and Edward play War. By the looks of Edward's pile, he was winning. I wrapped my arms around him, resting my chin on his shoulder. Charlie's eyes were peering up at me.

"You should know the Chief is a sore loser," I whispered in his ear.

"I've learned that at least four times already," Edward said with a laugh.

"Ha ha. You kids are just a pair of regular comedians," Charlie added dryly.

"I don't know - they are pretty funny. And accurate too," Billy added, nudging Charlie's arm.

Dad scowled before leaning back in his chair. "So, got any news?"

"Eight pound, nine ounce baby boy. Ten fingers, ten toes and completely healthy," I told them while I still leaned on Edward.

"Well, does he have a name?" Dad asked.

"You're going to have to meet him first in order to know," I said, pulling away from Edward.

When I stood, I grabbed for Edward's hand to pull him up from his seat. "Bella, this is a private moment… a family moment," he murmured in protest.

"And you're part of my family. Now come on." I tugged at our intertwined fingers.

Dad rolled his eyes at me but clapped his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Come on, can't leave my grandson waiting," he said with a small smile before taking the handles of Billy's wheel chair and pushing in the direction of Leah's room. I stopped in front of the door as Charlie and Billy passed.

"What happened to the asshole?" I asked Edward as his arms came around me.

"Your dad came down and had him thrown in the tank," he said, cupping my face. "You are the fiercest woman I know and you are more than capable of taking care of yourself…"

"But?"

"But you are also one of the smallest women I know, next to my sister and you need to quit getting aggressive with men twice your size," he sighed. "Sam hurt Emily and you saw what he did. I don't doubt he would try and do the same to you."

"I can handle myself," I protested weakly.

"If he would have laid a finger on you, I wouldn't be held accountable for my actions. You and Jasper fight, but I know he wouldn't beat on you. Sam isn't the type to hold back."

I felt a chill shoot up my spine. I think I finally realized how severe things had gotten out there. I hugged Edward tightly. "I'm sorry," I mumbled against his chest.

"I love you," he whispered into my ear.

"Hey, you two get in here. I want to know this little man's name," Dad called.

We stepped into the room and Dad was holding the baby. Leah looked sweaty and exhausted, but happy as Jacob tenderly stroked her hair back. Sue was beside them with a huge smile.

"Okay, so who am I holding?" Dad asked.

"Henry Charles Clearwater," Leah said with a smile.

Sue started crying and Dad and Billy smiled respectfully at each other. Leah told me earlier that she wanted to pay tribute to Harry and honor my dad. By the emotion flowing in the room, I could tell how proud my family was.

We stayed for a half an hour and when Leah asked Edward to hold Henry, I swear my ovaries exploded. He wasn't awkward at all and his gentleness just about killed me. I gave Leah a hug, which she returned quite fiercely as she whispered a quiet "Thank you" in my ear.

It was around five in the morning when we rolled into my driveway. The house was quiet as we crept upstairs. I peeked into Lilly's room to see Esme in her bed and Lilly snuggled close to her. As I moved closer, I saw my daughter's tear-stained face. Esme must have heard me because her eyes opened.

"She wanted you," Esme explained sleepily.

I crouched down cupping Lilly's face. "Did she cry herself to sleep?" I asked with a frown.

"No, once I offered to lie with her she calmed down," she smiled.

"I'm sorry."

Esme sat up, grabbing my hand. I stared at our hands and her smile before she stood. "Lilly is never a bother… you are never a bother," she said with conviction. "How's your new nephew?"

"Perfect," I replied honestly.

"Edward called and said there was a scuffle."

"It was something that shouldn't have happened, but Leah and Henry had their day and both are happy and healthy. She didn't know Sam showed up so no unwarranted stress there."

I saw the tired happiness on Esme's face as she stood up, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I love that you and Lilly came into our lives," she murmured before leaving the room.

I blinked and stared down at my daughter. Her blonde curls clung to her face from her crying. I brushed her hair back.

"Hey, I just passed Mom," Edward said sitting beside me.

He was wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His hair was damp and slicked back. "You get a shower without me?" I asked, pouting.

He captured my pout with his lips, giving me a very minty kiss. "I didn't know how long you were going to be," he said, giving me one last peck.

I watched as he moved forward, pushing Lilly's hair back like I just had. "She was crying?"

"She woke up and I wasn't home yet," I explained.

"Her tears shoot a missile into my chest," he started. "I mean, I'm used to hearing children cry and the things I've seen… Lilly and you own my heart."

"I love you and I love how good you are to us," I whispered.

In a way, I felt as though Edward was bringing out a part of me that I didn't know existed. I was opening up more and leaning on him for things I had always tried to deal with on my own. The more time I spent with him, the more I couldn't let him go. The emotions that emanated from me were almost baffling. I wasn't this lovesick girl that gushed to her friends about the one, but here I was declaring my love to him. The way he looked at me and my daughter made me feel that we were cherished. I wasn't about to screw that up at all.

I thought about this while I showered off my day and reflected over the past twenty-four hours. Edward had reunited with his cheesy, rebellious high school rock band just for me. Then he hung out with my dad while I helped coach Leah through the birth of her son.

I received a text just as I slipped into my bed beside Edward. I stretched across to pick up my phone from my bedside table and saw that it was from my dad. One word was on the screen - 'Keeper'.

In just the blink of an eye, everything had just become serious.

**A/N: Sorry this was late. Had a busy week last week. Warning next chapter there will be a very small time jump. As always let me know your thoughts it keeps me motivated to write. **

**I want to thank ****Dolphin62598 and Astro2009 for their help betaing this week. Their suggestions really help the flow of the story and I appreciate all the time and effort they take with this and The Sun Must Set to Rise!**


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